Never Met Someone Like You
by RiddleMeThisBatman
Summary: A tale of a twenty year old college student that takes a harmless trip to a gentleman's club.
1. Chapter 1

Carter Mason was never an overachiever. She never strived to be the best. Most of her high school nights weren't spent at libraries, pep rallies, or parties. Most of Carter Mason's high school nights were spent in her living room, Xbox controller in hand and a headset on her shoulder length dark chocolate hair. Her best friend Ed normally right beside her with the same equipment. The two engaged in anger filled games of Call of Duty, profanities flying from their mouths when one of them died. This is what they did up until the day of graduation.

Carter's mother had passed long ago when she was just eight years old. All she remembers is playing in the park, throwing the ball with her dad, and being pushed on the swing set by her mother. Most of what she remembers is her mother's strawberry blonde hair, and how she always smelt of sweet cherries. Carter's father Joseph Mason was around as much as he could be. Joe, as he likes to be called, worked for the FBI, and still does to this day. He has climbed the ladder over the years, and now his main concern was the drug trafficking between Texas and Louisiana. There were times when he spent whole months away after Carter turned sixteen. He trusted her to be able to take care of herself. He personally went out and bought his daughter a compact Glock 38, and two boxes of .45 caliber bullets. Then he taught her how to shoot it. He also expected her to maintain her grades at a least a C average, which she did just fine at.

Now this up and coming young woman is freshly twenty years old. Her birthday was just last month. She's no longer a student at Lake Monroe High School. Now she's enrolled at Monroe Community College, currently in her sophomore year. Reluctantly she enrolled herself in a video production class her freshman year because Ed wanted her to, but now she's just as much in love with cameras and editing as her shaggy haired best friend.

A side hobby she also picked up, due to needing volunteer hours for college, was coaching. The young woman coached a little league soccer team last year, and had plans to do it again this year once the season rolled around. Which was in two weeks, and Carter would only be a liar if she said she wasn't excited. And you better believe she and Ed made a killer video compilation for the kids and their parents once the season ended. Right now however the best friends were gathered at Ed's house for a little study session, subject: European History. But, it wasn't going all that well. Ed's older brother Shane was in town, and kept nagging at the two. "Guys it's _Friday night_. Let's go out. I want some titties in my face!" He shouted at them as they sat at the kitchen table desperately trying to study.

Ed looked up at his older brother and sighed. His brother had changed a lot in the past three years he's been gone. His black hair that was once shaggy was now cut into a fade, and his once bare chin now was covered with black facial hair in the shape of a goatee. "We're not going to a strip club." Ed announced. Sure Shane may have changed physically, but mentally he was just about the same. Always up for a party, and always down to go to the titty bar. Him and Ed were polar opposites.

"Pussy." The black haired man said flatly to his younger brother. "What about you, sweetheart? I know you like bitches." Shane said turning to Carter.

The brunette dropped her pen onto her notebook. "Don't call me sweetheart." She replied dully.

"Come on." He pleaded. "There's one just a few towns over in West Gate." West Gate was the closest city they had. It isn't anywhere near as big as New Orleans, but it was still fairly large in size. "Who turns down titties?" He questioned the duo before him. Then his face softened. "Oh, Ed.. Are you gay?" He said dramatically before bursting into laughter at the look of annoyance on his younger brother's face. "Ahaha I'm sorry man, but come on." He said trying to get the gamers out of the house.

The suggestion was becoming more and more enticing to Carter. She had never been to a strip club before, and she knew Ed hadn't either. The brunette nudged her friend. "What?" Ed quizzed, glancing over to her. Carter nodded to Shane. Ed wasn't picking up what she was trying to say with her head nod. "What?" He whispered to her.

"..I wanna go." The twenty year old mumbled.

Ed pulled back a little to look at his friend. "Are you serious?" He asked astounded.

"Fuck yeah she is!" Shane roared with excitement. "Whoo! Good ol' Carter!" The twenty three year old bounced on his toes. "We leave at nine!"

…..

Sooner rather than later nine rolled around. The three young adults were piled into Shane's red fuel friendly Chevy Cobalt. Carter hated this thing. Yes, it got amazing gas mileage, but to her it was just.. gay. She was in love with her father's old beat up and rusty Bronco. It had character. Shane's car just wasn't her cup of tea. "Alright. Paradise awaits." The oldest of the bunch spoke as a glowing neon sign came into view. 'Panther's Cabaret' was glowing pink, and so was the light running along the border of the roof of the large beige building.

"It looks huge." Carter mumbled to no one in particular.

Shane wore a smile that stretched ear to ear. "Yeah. Beautiful, ain't it."

"I still don't like this." Ed stated as his older brother pulled into the parking lot.

Shane searched for a place to park. "Too bad sissy, cause we goin in." He said with a smirk.

The group hopped out of the red four door vehicle once it was parked, and began their stroll to the front door. Carter didn't know what to think or to expect, but she was ready to enter the club. "I'm kind of excited." She said looking over to her friends.

The older black haired boy put an almost brotherly arm around her. "I will personally ensure you have a great time." He assured her. "I'll even pay your cover." Shane said as they walked up to the bouncer.

The bouncer for the club stood about six foot five, and was close to two hundred and fifty pounds. His head as bald as a cue ball. In fact it was quite shinny too. Any bystander would just think he had a shinny head, but the personnel at Panther's Cabaret knew better. They knew the girls that danced there would rub his head when they came into work. It had become tradition to buff bouncer Rick Torres' head. "All three of you together?" The large man asked.

"Yep." Shane quickly replied.

"ID's." The bouncer stated.

The group whipped out their ID's for the man at the door. Rick took them and looked them over. "Alright. Hands you two." He said gesturing to Ed and Carter. They did as they were told, and the bouncer placed black X's on both of their hands. "Go on in." Rick instructed them after he was finished. So, in they went.

Once through the pink main door they were met with an older woman. "Twenty dollars each." She informed the group. The woman at the entrance to the club was in her late thirties. Her name is Sheila, but it used to be Daisy back when she was a dancer.

"Yes ma'am." Shane said happily as he pulled three twenty dollar bills from his black leather wallet. "Here you go." He said as he handed the cash to her. Then it was time.

Shane opened the doors that lead into the club. Carter's eyes widened when she saw a whole other world unveiled before her very eyes. Music blaring, the bass of whatever rap song was playing could be felt pulsing through your body. Girls everywhere. Of all kinds. Some with their bra and underwear on, and some with no top at all. Lights flashed, different colors rotating throughout the dark room.

Shane glanced over to his brother, and his friend. Both of them stood with their mouths dangling open. "Let's go find a table." He said with a light chuckle. The two just nodded and followed behind him.

Carter couldn't believe this. Money was being thrown about carelessly. It flew onto the main stage like it had no value. Men, and even some women, hooting and hollering at the woman stripping. She watched as the tanned brunette on stage grabbed a man by the collar of his shirt and pulled his face into her chest, then proceeding to shake her breasts in his face. The man happily threw ones on the stage for the woman to collect once her song ended.

The oldest of the group led the college students to a table. It was a decent ways away from the bar, but fairly close to the main stage. Directly to their right was stage three, which was just a smaller stage for the girls to dance at once they came off the main stage known as stage one. "Hi. Can I get y'all anything to drink?" A dazzling Hispanic woman, who was in nothing but a green bra and matching g-string, asked the small group. Her eyes were dark brown, and her hair was long, dark and curly. She looked like something out of a Maxim Magazine. Her legs were thick, and her stomach was flat and toned.

"No thank you." Shane spoke for the trio. "Do you dance too, or are you just a waitress?" He questioned.

The caramel skinned woman smirked. "Depends on how cute the customer is."

With the response Shane got, he had an incredible idea. "Here's a twenty." He said sticking the green paper in her thong. "Give my friend a dance." He said nodding in Carter's direction.

Carter was long gone. She was hypnotized by the way the woman on stage was moving her body. Carter Mason's jaw had dropped when the short blonde on stage slid down from the pole into the splits. "Whoa.." She murmured as she took in the dancer's appearance. Her blonde hair gently faded into red at the ends. The dancer's hair came just below her shoulder blades, and when she whipped it to one side Carter got a view of her face. The blonde dancer's eyes were an ordinary brown, but they shimmered brightly under the flashing lights. Her eyebrows were sculpted to utter perfection, and her plump lips were glossy pink. She even had an adorable clef chin.

"Hey honey." A woman's voice pulled her attention away from the dancer on stage.

The twenty year old looked over to her left only to see a gorgeous latin beauty placing her hand on her shoulder. "Uh.. Hi." Carter spoke uneasily. Sure she had a few girlfriends here and there throughout her life, but this was different. These were women, not girls.. Hot, older, experienced women. In just their undergarments.

The Hispanic dancer could sense the younger girl's nerves. "My name's Cinnamon." She introduced herself. "You've never been a place like this before have you?"

The soccer coach shook her head. "Can't say I have." She chuckled nervously.

The girls that worked at Panther's were used to this. They could sense fresh meat miles away like a shark could smell a drop of blood oceans away. And, they loved breaking them in. Especially the girls. "Come with me." Cinnamon instructed, taking Carter's hand in hers. Carter stood up and followed the woman, who led her to a staircase. 'I didn't know this place was two stories.' Carter thought to herself as she trotted up the steps behind the Hispanic woman. She found her eyes glued to the dancer's backside. "Sit." Cinnamon ordered once they approached the top of the stairs, pointing at an empty black leather couch.

Carter did as she was told. She wasn't sure how this worked, so she was just going to do whatever the stripper told her to do. However back down stairs Shane was trying to get his younger brother to loosen up and enjoy himself. "Relax, man. Try to have a little fun." He said, patting Ed on the back.

"You just sent my best friend up into some dark room with a girl she doesn't even know." Ed shot back. "Maybe I don't like defiling women, and subjecting them to my sexual desires. They are people you know. I'm sure they have dreams and ambitions that don't involve grinding on horny men all the time."

"Sure they do!" Shane replied blissfully. "This helps fund those dreams and ambitions." He said holding up a bundle of ones. "This one's for college." He said as he began to count through his stack. "This one's for food. This one's for her kids' toys. This one's for rent. This-"

"I get it!" Ed yelled over the bumping music.

Back upstairs Carter was being straddled by Cinnamon. "It's okay. You can touch me." The stripper said with a hint of amusement in her giggle.

"I..Um.." Carter fumbled with forming words.

The young woman's stammering only caused the dancer on her lap to laugh as she took Carter's hands and placed them on her thighs for her. "You're so cute." Cinnamon laughed as she attached her lips to the younger girls neck.

…

"How'd the dance go?" Shane shouted above the noise of the club when he saw Carter walking their way.

Carter was about to yell something back, but there was that blonde again. The blonde stole Carter's attention instantly. There was just something about her that Carter couldn't let go of, something that pulled the college kid towards her.

The stripper was quick to notice the young attractive girl staring at her, so she winked and blew the college kid a kiss before continuing on her way to one of the smaller stages. The only Mason child glanced over to her friends, then back over to the blonde. Then without a second thought Carter began walking toward the small stage. "Hi." She was greeted with a smile that could make anyone's heart melt.

"Hey." The college kid replied.

The blonde wrapped her arms around Carter's neck, and took in her features while she took a break from dancing and just kneeled there on her knees. "You've never been here before have you?" She quizzed, eyeing the brunette suspiciously.

Carter let a small smile grace her features. "No."

"What's your name?" The dancer asked her. This stripper, just like most in the club, always enjoyed the newbies.

The young soccer coach put her hands on the table that the blonde stripper was kneeling on. "I'm Carter." She replied. She didn't feel right putting her hands on the girls without them telling her too. It just seemed strange to her.

"Well, I'm Layla." The blonde beamed with a bright smile. She was far to entertained by how the brunette in front of her wouldn't break eye contact. 'Classic newbie trait, never look down.' She thought to herself. "My real name is Sonny though." Carter couldn't help but smile at how bright this woman's own smile was. "Oh my gosh, you're too cute." Sonny said at seeing the twenty year old genuinely smile. "I have to go to my next set. Don't leave." She said placing a kiss on Carter's cheek as the song ended, signaling all the girls that were on the stages to rotate. "I wanna talk to you."

"Ok." Carter replied as she helped the blonde dancer hop off the stage. And, just like that she was off to her next stage. Carter watched her walk away for a moment. Her backside rivaled the Hispanic woman she had gotten a lap dance from. Still the young adult shook her head and returned to her seat by her friends.

"Look at you." Shane stated smugly. "I get you one dance, and BOOM! You go on the hunt yourself." He said proudly. "Now, I need to get Ed in the game." He said patting his brother's back.

….

A song or two had gone by, and during these songs Carter and Shane both tried to loosen up Ed. However it hadn't worked all that well. They got him to toss a few ones on the main stage, but he was really showing no interest in this place. "Is this because of Brooke?" Carter asked her best friend. Brooke was a totally daddy's girl. She got anything she wanted from him. And, she happened to be the girl Ed has liked since the seventh grade. Carter has tried to get him to see the light, and move forward. But, he just hasn't. What he has done, is become decent friends with Brooke, which in its own right might not have been the best move. Now he's stuck in the friendzone.

Before Ed could give Carter an answer, Shane butted in. "Oh shit guys.. Incoming." The black haired man said at seeing a gorgeous short blonde headed their way.

The two college kids turned to see what Shane was talking about and caught sight of Sonny. "Hey." She greeted Carter cheerfully.

"Hi." Carter managed to choke out.

The blonde dancer looked around to see no seat available, so she decided to take a seat on the brunette's lap. "So, tell me.." She began as she placed her arm around Carter's shoulders. "Marvel, or DC?" She said playfully eyeing the brunette under her.

The twenty year old's mouth nearly hit the floor. "What?" She asked to be sure she had heard right. This insanely hot woman just asked her which comic brand she preferred? Was she hearing her right?

Sonny leaned in closer to the college girl's ear. "Marvel, or DC?" She asked again.

The smile on Carter's face was priceless. "Marvel." She replied. "Spiderman is mah boy!" She said feeling more comfortable than she ever thought she would in a place like this.

The stripper was loving how carefree the young girl seemed, not to mention confident. And, even though most newbies don't put their hands on the dancers, Sonny could tell it wasn't only because she was a newbie. She could tell it was out of candid respect. Which, truth be told, was exceedingly rare in a place like this. Carter was a refreshing change from the customary. "I'm gonna be honest with you." The blonde said over the blaring music. "I am loving your attitude."

Carter glanced up at the blonde. "What do you mean?" She said playfully eyeing her.

"Just.. your vibe, I guess." The dancer replied. Being in her profession, she has learned how to read people, and their intentions. Carter was the kind of person Sonny anticipated to find at work, because it meant she could sit back and relax with someone that wasn't trying to fuck her right then and there. "Do you want a dance?"

"Yes." The younger brunette said quickly in response.

The blonde dancer giggled, and it held a certain raspy-ness to it that the young college girl found to be extremely appealing. "I was hoping you'd say that." She said, standing from Carter's lap. "Follow me." Sonny instructed, taking hold of Carter's hand and pulling her back towards the staircase.

This time the dance wasn't going to be performed on the leather couch. This time is was on one of the black leather chairs. Sonny pushed Carter into the seat. "Do you want to start now, or wait for the next song?" the stripper quizzed. "Techno songs are usually pretty long." She said noting that a techno beat was blasting through the club.

Carter shrugged her shoulders. "Whatever you want."

Sonny let a grin make its way across her lips. She liked the younger girls attitude a little more than she should. "How old are you?" She asked curiously as a new song began to play.

"Twenty." The college kid replied as the blonde straddled her.

"You're just a baby!" The dancer almost squealed.

Carter chuckled a little. "I'm legal."

"Honey." The blonde began, placing her hands on the younger girl's shoulders. "Can you buy your own alcohol?" Carter stared up at the woman on her lap, her mouth agape, she wasn't sure how to reply to her. "I didn't think so."

The college kid let out another chuckle. "Hey I-" She began to say, but was cut off.

Sonny put her index finger on the younger girl's lips. "Shh.. You're just a baby." She said again with a mischievous smirk. "It's ok." She said as she started to move her body to the music. But, then giggled once more. "You can touch me, you know." The blonde then took Carter's hands in hers and planted them on her thighs.

At first the dance was just like the one she had gotten earlier, but then something happened. The mood shifted. It went from playful, to almost lust driven. The blonde had placed her forehead directly on the brunette's. Their eyes flickering between each other's eyes and lips. The dancer found herself actually enjoying giving this dance, and even found herself a little aroused. She reached up into the brunette's thick dark hair, grabbing a fist full of it, and pulling her head to the left. At this point Sonny couldn't look at Carter anymore. She had never actually enjoyed doing this before, and it was freaking her out. Never the less she released her grip on the brunette's hair. Their gaze returning to one another's. "You make me want to do things I know I shouldn't." The dancer whispered truthfully against Carter's lips.

"Yeah?" Carter questioned lowly.

The blonde nodded her head against hers. "Mmhmm." She replied, biting at her bottom lip.

"Wanna get a room?" The college student offered. She didn't know where that came from. But, she said it.

The dancer didn't do anything but smile. "You are too cute." She stated, before reaching into Carter's shirt, going into her bra, and pinching her nipple. Normally Carter didn't like that, but the way that this woman just did it earned a slight moan of approval from the younger of the two. And as soon as that moan left Carter's lips the song ended. "Do you have your phone?" Sonny quizzed. Carter nodded and pulled it from her pocket. The blonde glanced at the time. It was 1:54am. "I'm about to leave the club, but I'm going to give you my number.. You should feel lucky cause I don't give it out to just anyone." She said, running her fingers through her hair.

"Uh.. Alright." Carter said, not really knowing how to reply to that. So, she unlocked her screen and went into her contacts. "Here you go." The brunette said, handing her phone over.

Sonny took it and quickly put her name and number in. "I really want you to text me." She said looking up, meeting the younger one's eyes.

"Ok."

"You're name. And it better have a smiley face by it." She playfully commanded.

Carter let a smile grace her features. "Fine." She said mockingly defeated. Honestly it surprised the younger of the two. She came in here not knowing what to expect, and now here she is. Getting the number of an extremely beautiful woman.

…..

The dancer walked Carter back to her seat, holding her hand the whole way. "I'm gonna get dressed, then head home." She said kissing the brunette's cheek. When she pulled away she looked over to the two guys the college student came with. "You two. Make sure she texts me, please."

Shane was impressed. Not only was this blonde stripper fucking hot, but Carter managed to get her number. "Yes ma'am!" The oldest of the trio shouted proudly.

During the minor chat Carter had reached into her small brown wallet to retrieve a twenty dollar bill to pay for her dance. Sonny noticed what the brunette was doing and stopped her. "It's on the house." The blonde said resting her hand on Carter's.

Just then a man of average height and weight sporting a black shirt and blue jeans walked behind Sonny. "Hey mamma, come see me next." He said as she smacked the blonde's ass.

It was as if what that man did flipped a switch. Sonny let go of Carter's hand, then turned around to view the man that slapped her backside. "Where the fuck is my two dollars!" She yelled angrily at him.

"Whaa.." The man mumbled. On closer inspection you could see this man had a buzzed haircut, and a brown thick mustache.

"Where the_ fuck_ is my two dollars." The blonde repeated, this time slower. "You think you can just walk around and smack my ass without paying for it? No, sweetie. That's not how this works." She stated, clearly aggravated.

To say the least this man was stunned. Normally he wouldn't have gotten yelled at for doing something like that in here, but then again he never did that to _this_ woman before. The man breathed a heavy sigh before reaching into his front pocket and retrieving a few ones. He rolled his eyes, and handed the high heeled wearing blonde the money.

Carter watched the exchange, and would only be lying to herself if she said that she didn't find Sonny's bold assertiveness to be sexy.


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright guys. I'm back with the second chapter. As always thank you to those of you that review. Your feed back is always something I enjoy, and hopefully you'll enjoy this installment. **

**...**

When Carter, Ed, and Shane left Panther's Cabaret around 3:30am the female in the group decided to text the blonde dancer she now knew as Sonny. However, it wasn't until 6:56am that the college student received a reply. And, by then Carter was long gone in the land of dreams. She slept peacefully, and got in one of the best night's sleep she had gotten in a while. With her dad being gone, again, for another drug sting, Carter couldn't help but worry about her father from time to time. In the end she knows he'll be coming home safe and sound, but it still stressed her enough to disturb her sleeping rituals. Last night seemed to help take her mind off of that though. And sleep was once again super enjoyable for the twenty year old. In fact she didn't even wake up until after one in the afternoon.

"Mhmmm." Carter groaned as she woke from her slumber in her plush bed spread. She pulled the blue comforter up to her neck, then over her shoulder as she turned to look at her alarm clock. 1:19pm. "Damn. I passed out." She grumbled, rubbing at her eyes. Instinctively, the young adult reached under her pillow for her cell phone. When she retrieved the device she saw she had four new text messages.

_'Hey :)' - Sonny 6:56am_

_'We still need to study for Euro' - Ed 12:04pm_

_'Carter. You are the shit. Just saying.' - Shane 12:16pm_

_'Text me when you wake up. Since I'm guessing you went all comatose. Lol.' Ed 1:03pm_

Carter laughed to herself at Ed's last text. She in deed did go a tad comatose. But she was in need of a good night's rest. She quickly sent Ed a reply _'Come over whenever. I'm up now. Lol'._ Then the young brunette scrolled to her text from Sonny and clicked reply. _'Damn. You were up early._' She sent. Carter rationalized in her head at the most the blonde could've gotten around four hours of sleep. "Only four hours. Hell no." She murmured as she pushed her comforter down off her body, and crawled out of her warm bed. She looked down and saw that she was only in a pair of grey underwear, and the same shirt she had on last night. Carter lifted the collar of her shirt to her nose and sniffed it. It smelt of cigarettes, perfume, and sweat. "Yeah I need a shower." The college kid said as she pulled the shirt up over her head, and tossed it off to her pile of dirty clothes by her closet.

When she returned from her much needed shower she saw she had a new text.

_'I had to take my sister to work this morning.' - Sonny 1: 45pm_

It's funny to think that Carter never so much as gave any thought to Sonny having siblings. _'Do you have any other siblings?_' The brunette texted back, just trying to make casual conversation.

_'No. Just one sister. She moved in with me a few months ago. Do you have any?' – Sonny 1:48pm_

'_Can't say that I do. I'm an only child.' – Carter 1:49pm_

'_Well she's both a blessing and a curse.. Hey are you free later?' – Sonny 1:52pm_

Last night Shane had filled Carter in a little on stripper's habits. He informed her about their mind games. They text you, call you, hell sometimes hang out with you, all to get you back to the club and dish out more cash. These women knew how to play people. It was their job after all. Shane found himself being caught up in one of their games once. He wound up being a sugar daddy for a cute little thing for about two weeks. So, he knew it was tricky when you kept in touch with them after club hours. Carter thought back to her conversation with Shane. Above all he told her 'Fucking enjoy yourself, but be careful.' So, that's what the brunette planned on doing.

'_I should be. What's up?' – Carter 1:54pm_

'_I get off work at 5. Do you want to grab dinner?' – Sonny 1:55pm_

The twenty year old smiled. She had never done this before, well never with a stripper, so she was willing to give it a shot despite what Shane had warned her about. She wanted to live her own experience, but still kept weary of her friend's advice. That and she kind of liked how forward the blonde was. She didn't know how old she was, but something Carter had always heard about older women is that they know what they want. Maybe her forwardness was just her knowing what she wanted. _'Yeah, that sounds great.'_

Seemingly as soon as she sent her reply there was a knock at her front door. So Carter threw on a pair of light grey sweatpants and last year's soccer jersey. The jersey was green. On the back in white letters across her shoulder blades read 'COACH' and underneath the letters was '00'. On the front across her chest was the team name, Sparkling Dragons. Yes, that's the kind of name you end up with when you're coaching seventeen eight year olds. And three of them are girls. Compromise was key.

After dressing herself, the twenty year old trotted down the stairs, and to the door. She opened it revealing her best friend Ed. "I had to get out of the house. Shane was driving me borderline psychotic." The shaggy haired boy explained.

"Come on in." Carter invited, opening up the door for him so he could walk through. "Shane really driving you that crazy?" She quizzed with a light chuckle. Their relationship always amused her. She got along with both of them for the most part. However there were times when she wanted to punch Shane herself.

Ed slid his backpack off his left shoulder onto the white carpet floor by the brown cushioned sofa. "Yes." He replied exasperated. "He won't shut up about last night." Ed explained as he sat down on the couch. "You're a hero to him right now, which I'll admit that girl was gorgeous. But, he keeps giving me grief about not stepping up to the plate." The shaggy haired college kid finished as he pulled his European History book from his navy blue backpack.

'Oh shit.' Carter thought to herself. She forgot she was trying to make dinner plans. She had her cell phone in her hand, but it was still on silent because she didn't want to be woken up by its vibrations or loud ringtones. She took a glance at her cellular. She had a new text. "Hold on a sec, Ed."

'_Old Coffee Pot 6:30 good for you?' – Sonny 2:04pm_

'_The one in West Gate, or the one in Trenton?'_ Carter was greatly hoping Trenton. Trenton was closer, not that West Gate was too far away for a dinner, but the brunette didn't want to have to go out of her way.

'_Trenton : )' – Sonny 2:13pm _

'_I'm down. See you then : )' – Carter 2:14pm_

"I read somewhere that when a girl sends you a smiley face it's because she wants you to send her one back." The soccer coach said after hitting send, which came off as absolutely random to her best friend.

Then Ed remembered where he had heard it. "No. Shane said that."

"Ah yeah he did, didn't he.." Carter mumbled as she plopped down on the sofa next to Ed. "Sorry to blow off your little rant about your brother, but.. I think I have a date with that stripper from last night."

Ed stared at his friend. He wasn't stunned, or amazed, or speechless necessarily, but he didn't quite know what to say to that. In his eyes Carter and Sonny where in the same league. They're both very attractive women in their own right, but they are two very different types of attractive. Honestly the boy wished he had Carter's luck when it came to women. Because even though she hadn't been with too many, he knew women flocked to Carter. "Well… I.. Could you date a stripper?" Ed asked confused as to wither he would or wouldn't. "I don't think I could." He reasoned. "I wouldn't be okay with her rubbing up against other people like that." Ed said, thinking back to the previous night and how erotic some of the dances got.

Carter shrugged. "There'd have to be set boundaries."

Ed looked at his friend curiously. "Like what?" He questioned.

"I don't know. I'm not dating one." The brunette replied. "But, I'd be okay with it because at the end of the night she would be coming home and fucking me, not the person she gave a dance to."

The shaggy haired boy nodded. "Valid point." He said before finally cracking his book open. "We do need to study though."

Carter sighed. "Yeah you're right." She agreed, standing from the comfortable couch. "I gotta go get my notebook."

….

Time ticked by and soon the hands of time allowed it to be six thirty. Carter Mason had driven her father's rusty white bronco that she loved so much out to Trenton, and parked it at The Old Coffee Pot Restaurant. Upon her arrival she sent Sonny a text letting her know she was here. Not a minute later her cell phone vibrated in her hands.

'_I'll be there in like 5 minutes. I got tied up with my sister.' Sonny – 6:32pm_

Carter closed the message screen, and went into her music. She scrolled all the way down into the W's to find the song she was looking for. Waiting On A Woman by Brad Paisley. She clicked play and let the song emit through the old car's speakers. She tilted her head back and rested it on the seat. The college student felt her nerves kick on as she sat there with her eyes closed just listening to the soft music.

Once the song ended Carter took a deep breath, then turned the old vehicle off. She hopped out and stood leaning on the side of the car. Sonny was just rolling into the parking lot in her 2006 silver Toyota Carolla when Carter got out of her vehicle. The blonde saw her and smiled. She thought Carter's outfit was cute. She was dressed in white short shorts, a spider-man basketball jersey, and she had black converse on her feet.

Sonny parked her car, took a deep breath, then stepped out. The blonde was wearing a black dress that was practically covered in its design of flowers to the point that you couldn't really tell it was a black dress. She wore a white cardigan over it to match the white pumps on her feet. When Carter caught sight of the blonde walking towards her, her jaw nearly hit the pavement beneath her. "You look, um.." Carter struggled to form a complete sentence.

"Different?" The blonde quizzed.

"..I was going to say beautiful." Carter managed to say after swallowing the lump in her throat. "I like the dress." She complemented. Honestly it wasn't what she was expecting. A sundress? On a stripper? Mind blown.

Sonny glanced down at what she was wearing. "I didn't have time to change after work. I had to go get my sister and take her home."

Now as much as Carter genuinely enjoyed listening to women speak, and really wanted to know just where Sonny was working at today because she didn't look like she was leaving a club, she was growing rather hungry. "Let's talk about it over dinner." The brunette said nodding in the direction of the restaurant.

The dancer smiled. "Ok." She replied as they began their walk to the entrance.

When the two women walked into the restaurant the hostess immediately took notice. "Is it just the two of you ladies?" The tall brunette female behind the wooden podium asked. This girl was cute. It was no wonder they put her up front to greet the customers. Her eyes were bright green, and her teeth a shimmering bright white.

"Yeah." Carter stated, answering her question. Her nerves were beginning to die down, and she was thankful for that.

The hostess, who's name tag says Nikki, picked up two menus. "Follow me, please." The two women followed the hostess through the establishment until they arrived at their table for the evening. "If you would, just take a look over our menus. Your server will be right with you." She informed the customers with a beaming smile before she turned on her heels to head back to her post.

Carter quickly flipped open the menu, and her eyes scanned the options laid out in front of her. "So, you said you were at work today?" The brunette asked, looking up to meet Sonny's eyes.

"Mmhm." The blonde hummed. "I have two jobs." She told the college student in front of her. "During the day I work retail at Macy's." she said, now opening up the menu she was given. "And, well you know what the other one is." Truth be told she didn't like stripping, but she did what was necessary to pay the bills.

"Hello, my name is Justin. I'll be your waiter for the evening." A vertically challenged blonde boy said as he approached the table. "Can I start you ladies off with something to drink?" He asked, his voice cracking a little in the process.

"Water." The dancer said looking up at the waiter. He had to be around seventeen.

"Sweet Tea." Carter ordered.

The young waiter took note of what they wanted. "Alright. Do you ladies know what you want to eat?"

Carter looked over to Sonny. "I'm ready."

Sonny playfully squinted her eyes at her date. She didn't think she would be ready to order that quick, but Sonny usually got the same thing every time she came here. "Yes, can I have the grilled chicken sandwich combo, please."

The teenage waiter scribbled down her order on his notepad. "I'll take the chicken fried steak, no gravy." The college student spoke. "And instead of regular mashed potatoes can I get a sweet potato?"

"Absolutely." Justin replied. "I will be back with your drinks momentarily." He said before leaving to do just that.

"So, Carter." The blonde dancer started to say, which immediately grasped the younger of the twos attention. "Where do you work?" She asked as she placed her napkin in her lap.

Carter looked at her date. 'Wow. She's stunning.' The twenty year old thought to herself. "Right now I do freelance photography."

Now Sonny was far too used to the glowing lights of Panther's Cabaret. Those strategically placed lights gave off a certain glow that made ordinary women look like goddesses. So, when she saw the younger girl in proper lighting she was given a pleasant surprise. Carter was actually prettier than what she remembered. "That's actually pretty cool." She said with a smile.

The armature photographer smiled back at her date. "I like it. I also go to school full time."

"Beauty and brains, huh?" the blonde flirted. "I like that."

Carter didn't blush often, but she was trying hard right now not to. At this moment she realized she had just taken a leap into the big leagues. This wasn't a _girl_ sitting in front of her. This was a _woman_. "Well you know. I try." She said with a slight shrug. "Tell me about your sister. You said she just moved in with you?" Carter questioned, trying to make conversation. Instead of flirting like crazy, she wanted to take a different approach to the beautiful woman sitting across from her. She truly wanted to get to know her.

"Yeah. Tawni." The dancer said with a sigh as their waiter brought their drinks to them. She said a hushed thanks to the boy before returning to her conversation with her date. "She was having issues with our mom down in New Orleans. Our mom is kind of a bitch. An alcoholic bitch to be honest." Sonny explained as she took a sip of her beverage. "I offered for Tawni to move out to Trenton with me because I hated living with our mom, so I knew she wasn't finding herself too fond of it. That and having an extra income besides my own has become very helpful."

The brunette listened intently to what Sonny had to say. "I live with my dad. He's never really home though due to his job." Carter said, opening up a little the way the blonde just had.

"So, is your house like party central?" Sonny quizzed. Hot college student, and a house all to herself? That sounds like a recipe for drunken shenanigans.

Carter shook her head, and chuckled a bit. "No." she replied. "No parties at the house."

"I could tell you were a good girl." The blonde stated.

"Psh.. I'm bad to the bone." Carter joked, leaning back in her chair, a grin across her features.

This earned a giggle from Sonny. "Yeah. Ok." She said sarcastically. "I can show you bad."

"Oh, please do." The younger girl said feeling confident. Her grin still plastered on her face.

The blonde put her face in her hands and laughed. "Ugh you're so young!" She mumbled into her hands.

Carter reached over the table, gently pulling Sonny's hands from her face, and lacing their fingers together. "And, just how old are you?"

The dancer's sparkling brown eyes met Carter's. "Twenty six."

…..

Playful banter had erupted between the dinning women. Overall once dinner was over, and the check came, what happened surprised Carter Mason. "I got it." Sonny spoke as their waiter for the evening dropped off their check.

Everything that Shane had told her had left her to believe she would be paying for this dinner not Sonny. "Nah, I got." Carter shot back, reaching for her wallet.

"Young Buck. I said_ I_ got it." the blonde dancer retorted quite sternly as she retrieved some cash from her small black leather purse. The brunette held her hands up defensively and let her date pay the tab.

When the women exited the restaurant Carter turned to her blonde date. "Do you wanna like, come over and watch a movie or something?" She wasn't ready for this date to be over with. She enjoyed the blonde's company, and how she could talk for days. So why not take the leap, and invite her over.

Sonny had obligations. She also had morals. Even though her place of employment might make you think otherwise. She had just met this girl last night. Should she go home with her? It had been awhile since she last had sex, and she couldn't deny her attraction to the younger girl. Maybe Carter actually meant what she said. "Um.." The blonde murmured as she looked over at the brunette. She felt as if she could read Carter fairly well, and it seemed as though she actually meant what she said. But, could Sonny trust herself? She already wanted to jump the younger girl. 'Eh, what the hell.' She thought. "Actually, yeah. That sounds nice."

At her reply Carter felt a weight fly off of her chest. She didn't know if she was out of line asking that question, but she was surely happy that it turned out she wasn't. "I'm that white Bronco over there." She said, pointing off into the parking lot.

"Ok. I'll follow you." Sonny said, leaning over and pecking the taller girl's cheek.

…..

As the girls pulled into the dirt drive way of the Mason's home Sonny couldn't help but stare at the lake. It was beautiful. "You live by a lake?" Sonny asked, pleasantly surprised, as she stepped out of her Toyota.

"Yep." Carter replied as she walked over towards the blonde. "Here. I'll take you out on the dock." She said taking one of Sonny's hands in hers.

The blonde let the college student lead her out onto the wooden dock. The moon and stars reflecting off the calm water. All that could be heard was the soft echoing of crickets. That was until Sonny's piercing high-pitched shriek emitted from her small body. "AHhh!" She yelped, rapidly going to stand behind Carter, clutching tightly onto her hand.

The brunette burst into a fit of laughter as her eyes landed on what made the blonde scream. "Ahahaha Sonny.. It's just a river snake." Carter laughed. "They're harmless." She said turning around to face the frightened woman. Sonny looked adorable, quite the change from how she looked last night. All of a sudden butterflies swirled around in the soccer coach's stomach.

The blonde stared up into Carter's eyes, a smile found her lips. She was no longer scared. Now she was just curious. "..Are you going to kiss me, or just stand there and stare at me?" She teased.

Her comment made Carter's smile widen. She was a tad stunned by her bluntness, however the college student accepted Sonny's challenge. She leaned in and connected their lips. It started slow but soon a fire ignited within both of them as their lips found a rhythm with each other's. The kiss turned passionate fast. Tongues battled, lips were nibbled, and hunger burned. Sonny's hand cupped the brunette's cheek while Carter's hands had found their way around the blonde's waist. Carter had to pull away. It was becoming too much. She needed to remain in control of her hormones. She rested her forehead on Sonny's and as the blonde's eyes fluttered open they locked eyes. "You are something else." The brunette mumbled.

Carter pecked the blonde's lips, then slowly kissed her way to her ears. Sonny inwardly cringed. She hated when people went to play with her ears. Men always tried to at the club, but none of them ever knew what they were doing. But, when Carter's mouth found Sonny's ears the blonde let out a moan. She didn't know what Carter was doing, but she loved it. She loved that this twenty year old knew what she was doing. "Mmhm.. Where'd you learn how to do that?" the blonde moaned, her eyes closed as she just relaxed and enjoyed the feeling.

The college kid kissed her way back to the dancer's mouth. "It's a secret." She mumbled during their fiery kiss.

Their lips glided along one another's in perfect sync before Carter pulled away again. Her breathing labored. She was finding it hard to control herself for some reason. "What's with all the heavy breathing?" Sonny quizzed, feeling very amused. She had a hint as to why.

The brunette licked her lips. "I.." She struggled here. How was she to word this. "I want to have sex with you.. but, at the same time I kinda don't."

At her words Sonny's hand slid from Carter's face to her shoulder as she took a step back from the girl. She wasn't sure how to take that. Truth be don't she was a little offended. "You want to have sex with me, but you don't?" She asked just to clarify. No one has ever told Sonny that they _didn't_ want to have sex with her.

Carter picked up on how standoffish the blonde just became. 'shit' she thought to herself. "It's just that you're really hot, so naturally I want to rip your clothes off. But, at the same time I don't want you to think that that's all I wanted." She desperately tried to explain. "I'm not that kind of person." She defended.

The blonde took in a deep breath. "I'll think about it." she said before pecking the brunette's plump lips.

"How about that movie?" Carter suggested, taking both of the dancer's hands in hers.

Sonny nodded in approval. So, the soccer coach led her down the dirt path to her front door. She unlocked the thick wooden door, allowing Sonny to enter her home first. Carter went to flick on the lights, but a soft hand prevented her from doing so. "I thought about it." Sonny's voice stared in the darkness of the living room.

"Thou-" Carter began to ask, but was cut off by a pair of smooth lips colliding into hers. 'Holy shit. She wants to do this.' The twenty year old thought to herself. 'Woman, you are so mine!' she thought as she guided the shorter girl to the sofa. Carter had one hand behind Sonny's neck, and the other on her waist as she gently pushed her down. All of her nerves were gone. This was Carter's territory. She knew how to handle a girl, and she was going to show Sonny it didn't matter how old or young she was, she could still make her scream her name.

The brunette knew her strong points, so once she had Sonny laid on the couch she started her assault on the older woman's neck all the while teasingly running her finger tips along the blonde's thighs. Boy did Carter love dresses. They made her job much easier.

Sonny let out a string of moans as the college student found her sweet spot on her neck near her collar bone. It had been years since someone navigated her body the way Carter was doing. The blonde's lust driven haze was thickening by the second. She wanted Carter inside of her. She ached for it. Her breathing hitched in her throat when she felt Carter's lips leave her neck, and nibble at her breasts through the fabric of her dress. She had never seen anything more sexy than the look that Carter glanced up to give her. "Fuck. You are so sexy." She moaned, tilting her head back.

Carter had her right where she wanted her. The brunette came back up to Sonny's mouth and kissed her with hunger, which was returned with just as much heated passion. She let her right hand slid up and under the blonde's underwear, caressing her center.

Sonny reached up, grabbing Carter's face with both of her hands. "Please." She moaned. "I want you." She begged in between kisses. She didn't just want it. She was in need of it. Her body desperately needed to feel the college student pumping in and out of her. The brunette smirked before plunging two fingers into the dancer. "_ohhh_ baby yeah." She moaned into their kiss.

**...**

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**This story can't stay fluff and rainbows for very long. The next chapter or so will reveal certain details about Sonny that she neglected to tell Carter on their date. Let me know what you guys think so far. Love you fuckers! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

That next morning Carter Mason found herself day dreaming in her Chemistry class. It was most likely the worst of her classes to not be paying attention to. Thankfully Ed would catch her up on whatever discussion about protons and neutrons she missed. But, for now she couldn't help but think back to the events of last night.

FLASHBACK

Sonny and Carter had gone at it like animals in heat. Both of their naked bodies were covered in a thin layer of sweat as they laid there in each other's embrace on the white carpet of the Mason living room. "I have never been fucked like that." The blonde said as she propped herself up on her elbow to look at the college student. This girl six years her junior, the girl she refers to as 'just a baby' just effectively rocker her world in ways it has never been rocked before.

The twenty year old furrowed her eyebrows. This gorgeous older woman, who happens to be a stripper, just implied that Carter was the best sex of her life? "Go to sleep." She replied, playfully pulling the dancer on top of her.

The blonde giggled at the younger girl's reaction. "I'm serious." She said placing a light kiss on Carter's chin.

Curiosity caught the better of the soccer coach. "How many people have you been with?" She couldn't help but ask. In all honesty she already knew the number would be higher than her own. As much as Carter tried to stay away from the stereotypes presented among women that take their clothes off for money, she had a nagging little voice telling her Sonny had been with quite a few.

This topic was one Sonny much rather avoid. It brought back memories she had buried long ago. "How many have you been with?" She asked, nuzzling her head into the crook of Carter's neck. She didn't want to dive into the subject of her sex life. She had a dark past, and that's where she wanted it to stay. In the past. So, instead of answering she asked the same question in return.

Carter's gaze rested on the ceiling above her, and in a sense Carter caught on that the blonde didn't want to divulge in the topic. But, in her mind how you could sit there and tell someone they were the best you've ever had, and then not tell them how many people they beat out. The dancer's evasion of the discussion confirmed to Carter that her number must have been up there. Not that that would bother the twenty year old. To her it never mattered what a person did before you met them. It's what they do afterwards that counts. "You are number five." Carter informed her, as she rubbed the dancer's back.

"Bullshit." Sonny retorted. The way that the younger brunette made her body feel, there was no way she had only slept with five people. Four excluding the blonde.

Carter chuckled, a smile on her face. "You don't have to believe it. But, it is the truth."

END OF FLASHBACK

Carter never did get an answer, however she didn't press for one either. It wasn't her place. They weren't dating. In fact they had only met two days ago. Sonny didn't owe her any answer if she didn't feel like giving one up. Still, Carter felt a sense of accomplishment because of what the blonde said.

When the professor dismissed his Chemistry class the students packed up their things. "How was the date?" Ed questioned his best friend as he slung his navy blue backpack over his left shoulder.

Carter picked up her black backpack, following suit with what her shaggy haired friend had just done; she slung her backpack over her shoulder as well. "I got some booty." She half sang, a giant smile stretched across her features.

The boy lightly laughed at his friend's excitement as they walked towards the door to leave the classroom. "You seem very delighted about that."

"Oh, so very delighted." Carter joked. It was going to be a good day. She could feel it. She had no tests or quizzes scheduled throughout the whole day, and little league orientation was today. Which the twenty year old was tremendously excited for. "It's going to be a good day, Ed." She said speaking her mind, throwing a friendly arm over her best friend's shoulder. "I slept with a bombshell last night, with plans to go out again this weekend, and I'll be receiving anywhere between fourteen to twenty-two young minds to sculpt into soccer addicts this afternoon. I'm excited!" She boasted.

Ed couldn't help but be happy for his friend, but for right now he was about to encounter some of his own girl problems. Brooke was strolling through the halls, and she was heading in Ed and Carter's direction. "Hey Barbie." Carter called out to the skinny blonde using her nickname. Barbie had been Brooke's nickname since middle school. It just seemed fitting. She was skinny, born into a wealthy family.. and, well she's white, blonde and pretty.

"Hey guys." She greeted the two cheerfully. Her voice much softer than Carter's. "Oh, Carter. My little brother, Richard is signed up from your soccer team this year." She informed the soccer coach. Her younger brother wasn't quite old enough to be on that team last year because his birthday didn't fall into the cycle. This year however he was due to turn eight in a few days, making him eligible.

"Awesome." She replied with a friendly smile. "Ed is actually thinking about being my assistance coach." Carter told the rich blonde in front of her. Ed didn't have any plans what so ever to help Carter out with a bunch of small children. But, Carter was just trying to score her friend a little more time with his crush. If he wouldn't let her go, then she might as well help Ed get her.

"No, I-" Ed started to debunk what his best friend just said, but was just off.

"Ed, fill her in on the time for orientation." The soccer coach said, pushing her friend in the direction of the wealthy girl.

The shaggy haired boy shot his friend a what-the-hell look. That was something Shane would've done to him. Carter just waved goodbye then went on her merry way to her next class. Women's Studies. Ed didn't sign up for this one. Honestly the only reason Carter did was to scope out the lesbians. But, she's learned a steady amount of information since she's been enrolled. All in all it worked out.

…

Before Carter knew it the school day was over. Which meant one thing. It was time for orientation. The brunette had just changed out of her regular everyday clothes, which consisted of skinny jeans, converse, and a blue and white fitted flannel button up. And, now she was decked out in attire suitable for training. Truth be told they weren't going to be doing much of anything today. But, Carter knew how excited the kids got when they all first meet each other and their coach. So why not dress the part. That and she needed to be easily recognizable to the parents, seeing as how the brunette is barely twenty. Last year the parents thought she was someone's big sister before she properly introduced herself.

So here she was standing out on freshly cut grass at Lincoln Elementary. She found coaching to be strangely therapeutic. Being in cleats again felt refreshing to the college student. She wore the same red Nike's with a white swoosh and white laces that she wore last year. White socks covered the shin guards she had on. Her white light weight shorts came down to her knees, and her USA Women's soccer jersey topped off her outfit.

The soon to be soccer players had begun to arrive, so Carter picked up a soccer ball and passed it to one of the children that was on the team last year. For the most part her team would consist of eight year olds, however a few nine year olds slipped through the cracks due to the cycle their birthday fell under. The soccer coach had passed the ball to Timmy, a soon to be nine year old boy with spiky brown hair. "Coach Carter!" The young boy shouted, his voice full of enthusiasm and a bright smile plastered on his face.

"Hey big Tim." Carter greeted as the boy dribbled the ball towards her, showing off what he learned last year.

"It's nice to see you will be coaching again this year Carter." Timmy's mother said as she watched her son joyfully wrap his arms around the coach's waist. "The kids love you." Timmy's mom was your typical housewife. Her hair was at that motherly length of not quite hitting your shoulders. And, she dressed fairly modest. Her husband brought in all the money, allowing her to live a cushioned lifestyle with the privilege of knowing she would never have to work a day in her life. Oddly enough, it was women like this that loved Carter. She found that most middle-aged women took a strange liking to her.

The twenty year old chuckled while she put her arms around the small boy. "I'm happy to be back." She replied honestly as Timmy let go and ran off to meet up with some of the other children.

All in all the young coach only had three of the same players from last year. Little Timmy Duckette, with the light brunette housewife of a mother that took a strong liking to her. Olivia Miller, this kid had the liveliest blue eyes Carter had ever seen. Sure to be a heartbreaker when she grows up. But, this little girl packed quite a kick, so Carter was thrilled to have her back for another season. Then there was Joshua Grant. This boy was their top scorer last year. He led the team with sportsman ship Carter didn't know children possessed. He was always lending words of encouragement to his teammates when something didn't go the way of their team. The boy didn't come from a wealthy background, but he sure had eyes for Olivia Miller who came from a very wealthy background. It was truly entertaining to watch the two interact. Olivia was easily the second top scorer from the team last year. The two small children had a friendly rivalry over who was the best player. That was sure to continue into this season as well. Carter could tell just by the way the two had already been exchanging some friendly trash talk.

"Could I get the parents, or guardians to gather around really quick?" the college student called out over the chatter amongst the parents. At the coach's request everyone gathered in front of her. "So, today is just orientation. A day I like to have for the kids to get to know one another a little, and see who they'll be playing with. I like to meet the team and just pass the ball around for a while.. Practices will be held here." The twenty year old said pointing to the field beneath her feet. "Every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday at four-thirty to six-thirty." She said informing them on the schedule. "Games won't start up until about a month or so down the road, and when they do they will be held on Saturdays. It could be as early as eight am, and it could be as late as six pm. Is there any questions?" Carter finished as she put her hands on her hips.

One blonde woman raised her hand, she looked younger than Carter. The soccer coach pointed at her, silently telling her to go ahead. "If my nephew is at the after care center here at Lincoln, can you as his coach get him from after care for practice?" She quizzed. This girl had to have been younger than Carter, and that was confirmed after being told the child she brought here was her nephew and not her son. Her voice was a tad too high pitched for her liking. Ed might have liked that since that is kind of how Brooke sounded.

"Yeah. Absolutely." Carter started to explain to the blonde. "I will be able to go get any of the players from the after care center as long as the child's legal guardian goes into the main office and fills out the appropriate paperwork. Are you his legal guardian?" She asked. If she was she could take her up to the office after orientation and assist her in getting it done. Carter had picked up five of her players from the after care center last season. She expected to have to do the same this season too. She understood that most people don't get off work until after five, so she was willing to help out anyway she could.

"No." The blonde replied. "Hunter isn't mine. His mom will be here to pick him up though." Carter looked over her shoulder at the kids. They were running, passing a soccer ball in what looked like a game of keep away. "He's the one with the jet black hair."

The soccer coach glanced back at the blonde. "Alright. When his mom gets here just have her come talk to me." She replied. Then she addressed the crowd of parents. "If anyone else needs to fill that form out I'll be heading up to the office after orientation, and we can get it accomplished then."

"I think I'm going to need that for Wednesdays." Brooke spoke up. "I have class late on that day."

Carter sighed. "You're never easy, are you Barbie?" she said knowing her parents wouldn't be here after practice. They were quite the busy bee's.

"You should know me better than that by now, Carter." The girl known as Barbie teased.

The soccer coached eyed Brooke suspiciously. Did she know Ed liked her? "Ok. I'm going to go hang out with the kids, and get acquainted. If any of you find yourself with any more questions, please feel free to ask."

…

Even though this wasn't supposed to be a practice, Carter still showed the kids a few drills they would be doing in two days. She instructed them on the proper way to kick the ball, and discussed field positions. She liked to see what positions the kids wanted to play, and then over the next two weeks would decide where they would be put. But, now the sun was setting and the parents that left were now reemerging. "Alright guys. Orientation's over." Carter said to her new team as one of the new members kicked the ball to her. "You guys excited for practice Wednesday?" She asked, clearly excited for Wednesday herself. All nineteen players gave her a loud 'yeah!' in response. The soccer coach chuckled. "Good. Go home. Eat like kings, and be ready for Wednesday!" She shouted high-fiving each of the children as they ran past her back to their parents.

The twenty year old walked over to the bleachers to grab a drink from her water bottle, and to make sure all the kids picked up. Just as she sat down a voice called out to her. "Coach Carter!" the coach glanced to her right to see Olivia and Joshua running towards her. "We just wanted to let you know that we decided we will be winning the playoffs this year." Olivia spoke, informing her coach.

"Yeah. Second place won't do this year." Joshua stated.

Carter smiled at their enthusiasm. "We'll see what happens." She said, ruffling both of the kids' hair. "The important thing is to have fun."

"Psh posh." Olivia said waving her hand. "I _want the gold_, coach." She said making her hands into fists.

These two were certainly unique. The twenty year old loved them. They always made her smile. "Let's face it. Two is not a winner, and three nobody believes in." Joshua said quoting Number One by Nelly.

Carter looked up do Josh's dad. The middle aged man rolled his eyes. "His mother is having a mid-life crisis. She's listening to all the music she listened to in high school all over again."

"Ahh. Gotcha." The college student replied.

"Come on kids. Let's go. Have a nice night Carter." He said patting the two young children on the back. Last year the two families car pooled, and it seemed as if they were doing it again this year. In fact Carter noticed a lot of the kids car pooled for practices.

The soccer coach told the three of them to have a nice evening, then glanced around to see who was left. There were still six kids. She scanned the area and saw the blonde from earlier. Good, maybe they could knock out that paperwork. There was another blonde woman with her, and the closer she got the more familiar she looked. Carter couldn't believe it. Her heart pounded against her sternum. It couldn't be, could it? It was. It was Sonny.

Sonny was walking with her sister, Tawni. The two blonde women were discussing work. Tawni knew Sonny worked retail at Macy's, and that on occasion she would bar tend. But she had no clue her sister was stripping. That was the way the twenty six year old wanted it. She didn't want her to know. As they were walking towards the soccer field the dancer nearly stopped in her tracks. "..Fuck." She whispered when her eyes landed on the twenty year old she spent the weekend with.

Her sister glanced around. "What?" She said unknowing to what was going on.

"Remember that girl I was telling you about in the car?" the older blonde quizzed. "Well I kind of didn't tell her I had a son." She admitted.

Tawni looked at her sister then back to the girl sitting on the bleachers. Carter smiled and waved to the two women. "Well she knows now." She replied as both of them waved back to the coach.

"What is she even doing here?" Sonny thought out loud. She was growing frustrated. She wasn't ready for her to know about her son yet. She wasn't even sure where she was heading with the young brunette. Tawni couldn't help herself and started laughing. Something about this was just hilarious. "What is so damn funny?" Sonny asked, how agitated she was showing in her tone. No matter how much she tried, Tawni couldn't stop.

"Mommy!" The boy Carter knew as Hunter, and now Sonny's child, yelled happily as he ran to his mother.

Sonny scooped him up into a big hug. "Hey, squirt." She said just as happy to see him. It pained the dancer that she couldn't spend as much time with him as she wanted. But, never the less she was doing her best to have him raised right. "How was practice?" She asked the joyful black haired boy.

"It was awesome!" Hunter told his mother. His smile radiating. "You gotta meet my coach." He said, tugging at her hand.

At this Tawni grinned. "I'm pretty sure they've met before." She said lowly so only Sonny heard her.

The older blonde shot her sister a death glare before following her son. She took in a deep breath before they got over to Carter. She hadn't felt this nervous in a long time. "Mom. This is Coach Carter."

Carter stood from the metal bleachers. "Hi." The dancer said quietly.

The soccer coach looked down at the dark haired boy. "Hunter, why don't you go play tag with the fellas over there?" Carter asked, nodding in the direction of the kids that were left here waiting to be picked up. The little boy said 'ok' before sprinting off to take part in the game of tag.. the college student took a glance at Sonny, then sat back down on the bleachers and sipped at her water. "Why didn't you tell me you had a kid?" she asked curiously.

"Why didn't you tell me you were a soccer coach?" Sonny retorted.

Carter put her bottle down beside her. "I guess it never came up."

"Exactly." The blonde replied, arching a perfectly sculpted eyebrow.

The brunette glanced over to the playing children. "Yeah, but having a kid, and being a soccer coach.. that's kind of different." She said looking back at the blonde standing in front of her. By the look on Sonny's face she knew something was wrong. "I don't mind.. I like kids. I'm just curious as to why you didn't say anything."

The stripper sighed. Tawni had kept her distance so that her sister could handle the situation. And, that's what Sonny was trying to do. The dancer sat down next to Carter. "Well not everyone likes kids, and some people get really put off when I mention that I have a child. If me being a stripper doesn't turn them off, then me saying I have a kid usually does the trick." She admitted.

This whole thing confused the soccer coach. "Why?"

"What do you mean, why?" The blonde nearly scoffed. "That's a lot to take on. Dating someone with a child. Then the sigma of a bring a stripper being added onto that.. I'm telling you, it has pushed people away. Then you have the ones that think they can handle being with someone like me, and when they realize they can't it just fucks everything. I don't time for people that 'think' they can handle it. I didn't want to tell you because we just met, and went on _one_ date. I don't know where this was going, but you're too young. I don't want to thrust this upon you, so we should just quit while we're ahead." She told Carter, and quite frankly Carter couldn't believe what she just heard.

The college student wore a sarcastic grin. "Let me get this straight." She said looking over to the blonde. "You don't want to try to date me.." She said putting a hand on her own chest. "because of what other people have said, or done? In fear that, what, I might do the same thing?" she asked for confirmation.

"Yes. That and, you are just so young." Sonny said with a groan.

Carter stood up, and got in front of the blonde. She leaned forward, placing one hand on either side of the dancer on the bleacher seat. She looked into the older woman's eyes. "Let me make one thing clear.. I don't need to be older than you, or be your age to treat you like a queen. And, when I take the time to actually date a woman, I make the effort to treat her as such.. Also quite frankly a woman having a child isn't off putting to me. Because the way that woman treats and raises her child says more about her than anything in this world can say."

Even though these two women had only known each other for two days, Sonny could see in Carter's eyes that she was being truthful. "I-" The blonde began to say, only to stop herself. She had heard things like this before, and the people who said these things looked as if they were being truthful too. The dancer couldn't handle another heartbreak. "I'm sorry, kiddo." She said as she placed her hands on the younger girl's shoulders, and gently pushed her away. "I can't do this."

The soccer coach backed away from the older woman. She didn't know why, but that really pissed her off. She didn't even give Carter the time of day to get to know her. She just assumed Carter was like every other person that entered her life. The brunette shook her head, but remembered she was going to be Hunter's coach, so she would remain professional. "Practices are Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Four-thirty to six-thirty. I already told Tawni about the form you'll need to get in the office to allow me to take him from aftercare." She said remembering Sonny telling her her sister's name during their date.

Sonny said a hushed thank you to Carter before she called out to her son. "Hunter! Let's go home now." She shouted to get his attention. He was still running around playing tag with some of his teammates.

This whole thing was seriously bothering the soccer coach. "So, you're really not even going to give me a chance?" She asked calmly.

Sonny sighed. "It's what's best for both of us." She replied. "You don't get into something over your head, and I don't get my hopes up.. And, honey.. I'm a lot to handle. I have a dark past. You don't need me to corrupt your bright future."

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**Alright I know some of you had to see her having a kid coming. Thank you for all of your reviews on the previous chapters. I love getting into y'all's heads, and reading what you have to say. Sonny has more in her closet, but you'll have to wait for the rest to come out in later chapters.**


	4. Chapter 4

It was Thursday afternoon. Sonny and Carter hadn't spoken over the past few days. They saw each other yesterday at the end of an eventful soccer practice. The kids ran their drills hard. The little players held a strong admiration for their coach, and Carter could see it in the way they played. She was going to have a good team this year just like last year.

As yesterday's practice came to a close Carter approached the blonde dancer. She asked the blonde if she would still like to go out this weekend. There was something about Sonny that the soccer coach couldn't let go of. However, Sonny had once again declined.

This afternoon the soccer coach made no attempt to make plans with the blonde for the weekend. Instead she told the dancer that Hunter was proving to be quite the little striker, and bid them both a good evening. Now the dancer was back at her low end three bedroom house. She had lived here for a couple of years. The rent was fairly low, but now it was just her. Times had gotten hard, but now they were beginning to get better with the added income of her baby sister. The woman she used to rent this house with moved out last year. Another dancer by the name of Marissa. The other dancer moved out to go live with her boyfriend of four years. The two see each other at the club, and usually grab a bite to eat after work. The two dancers played on men's fantasies of being with two girls at once. They had been at this for years. At the point they knew every trick in the book.

Right now however Sonny was far from Panther's Cabaret. She was standing in her kitchen cooking up some dinner for her hungry little soccer player. Hunter wanted to join football originally, but his mother convinced him otherwise. Sonny wasn't ready for her son to get knocked around like that, so instead they settled on soccer.

Tawni was currently sitting at the table with Hunter. She was helping the young kid with some of his homework. Math was never Tawni's strong point, but since the black haired boy was only in the third grade, the youngest blonde sister managed. "Hunter, why didn't you do your homework in aftercare?" Sonny questioned her eight year old as she turned around from the stovetop to look at him. The little black haired boy looked up at his mother like a dear caught in the headlights. "Don't' lie to me because I know Denise would've helped you." She warned her son. The woman she was referring to was an aftercare attendant. In fact she was one of the youngest ones. Sonny had spoken with her several times, and Denise has helped Hunter with his homework before. Sonny didn't want to do it, but there was a program she could place her son in that would ensure he had his homework done. The program put all the kids into one room, and they aren't allowed to leave until all of their homework is complete.

Hunter hung his head. "I went to play Alien Attack Two with Brandon.." He said lowly.

"Tomorrow you will do your homework first thing." The blonde mother scolded with a wooden spoon in her hand. "Are we clear?"

The small boy glanced back up to his mother. "Yes."

"Good." She said in response. Honestly Sonny always felt she got lucky that her son was so well behaved. Her and Tawni weren't anywhere near as cooperative when they were growing up as her son is now. "Go to the bathroom and wash up. Dinner will be on the table when you get back."

Hunter sprang up from his chair, and trotted towards the bathroom. The child was still in his soccer gear. Tawni sat at the table for a moment. She tapped her manicured nails on the wooden table top. She wanted to see her older sister happy. Its true Hunter lit up Sonny's entire world, but the other day when Sonny was explaining her date to Tawni she was glowing for a different reason. No matter how much her older sister wanted to brush it off, Tawni knew better. She knew her sister wanted someone to just take her in their arms at night and let her know she was going to get through this crazy thing called life. She also knew how crazy her sister was, and is, and if she were to be with someone that person would have to love her unconditionally. That was the kicker, finding that person. What killed Tawni was that it seemed like her older sister had given up on finding someone. "Sonny." Tawni called out.

"Hmm." The older of the two hummed as she drained the spaghetti noodles of water in the stainless steel sink.

"You said that Carter girl asked you out again?" Tawni asked, beginning her interrogation knowing very well Carter had.

The dancer sighed as she put the pot of noodles down on the table. "Yeah." She knew where this was going, and she wasn't a fan of it. "I don't want to talk about it Tawni." She told her younger sister as she walked back to the stove to get the sauce and meatballs.

Tawni rolled her eyes. "Sonny she seems sweet."

"She's too young." Sonny shot back.

The younger blonde watched her sister bring the meatballs and sauce to the table. Then she watched her open the oven door. Sonny fanned the hot air before grabbing an oven mitt off the counter top, and reaching in to grab a tray of garlic bread. "Apparently she's not too young to shag."

"What's shag?" Hunter asked as he walked back into the kitchen.

Sonny's mouth fell open. "Tawni!" she shouted. Now someone was going to have to give her son some sort of explanation. "Go ahead. Tell him what shagging is." The dancer stated angrily, one hand on her hip, the other holding a hot tray of toasted garlic bread.

"Um.." Tawni stammered. She glanced to Sonny, but she shook her head in refusal to assist her out of this jam. So, the blonde sighed. "Shagging.. is just.. it's something you're not allowed to do until you're eighteen. Ok?" She told her nephew not so confidently.

Hunter shrugged. "Ok."

'Well that was simple.' Tawni thought to herself. "We are so not done with this conversation." She said to her older sister, who was now seating herself at the dinner table.

"We _so_ are." The dancer replied, picking up a pair of tongs to ration out some of the noodles.

…..

Leave it to the younger sibling to continue to nag at you. Because that's just what Tawni did. And, finally she was able to get Sonny to cave. The dancer agreed they would talk about it after she put her son to bed for the night. Tawni patiently waited in the living room as she sat in her favorite seat. The maroon colored cloth covered lazyboy recliner chair. She knew this would most likely be a long talk, so the younger blonde came prepared. She sat willing and ready to listen with a pint of chocolate ice cream and two spoons resting on the small table beside her.

Within a few minutes Sonny appeared from her son's room. Every night when she was home she would read him a bed time story. The dancer always let her son pick. Tonight it was a few chapters out of Charlotte's Web. When they read a multi chapter book like this one Sonny liked to make Hunter read the first chapter. She liked to hear her little man read, and knew it was good practice for him. "Alright, Tawni.." Sonny said unenthusiastically. "Let's get this show on the road. What is it you want to know?" The twenty-six year old questioned her sister.

The younger sister opened up the ice cream. "Come sit with me?" She asked respectfully. Sonny huffed in annoyance. She was exhausted. She always seemed to be worn out. But, she slummed her way over to the lazyboy and plopped down next to her sister. The chair was big enough to fit the two skinny women. "You were glowing the morning you came back." Tawni stated as she handed her older sister a spoon.

The dancer cracked a smile. "I was not." She defended, her smile becoming evident in her voice.

"You so were." Her younger sister replied, playfully nudging her. "I always thought you were gay." She announced. It wasn't the first time she had said it to her older sister though. Tawni had been saying that very sentence to Sonny for years. Even when she found out she was pregnant nine years ago. She just never saw her older sister winding up with a man. Maybe a guy-ish female, but never a man.

Sonny dipped her spoon into the ice cream. "I'm not gay." She reminded her sister. "I have a child for christ sakes." The dancer said as she ate the tasty desert.

At that comment Tawni dramatically dropped her arms down into her lap. "Sonny." She said glaring at her sister. "You told me, not two days ago, that this girl gave you the best sex of your life."

"She did." The dancer stated, a blush finding it's home on her cheeks. "I'm not gay.. but I guess I'm not straight either." She murmured.

Tawni shook her head. "Wait.." she said putting her hand up. "This isn't even what I wanted to talk about.. I want to know why you won't try things out with this girl. Who knows.. maybe it'll lead somewhere and hell even if it doesn't, you need to get back out there."

Sonny glanced over at her sister. "I don't have the time to try it out."

"Yes you do." Tawni shot back. "I'm here now. I will watch Hunter." She offered. "You told me yourself that this girl said she didn't care that you have a kid!" She said a little louder than she meant. Tawni just wanted her sister to at least_ try_ to be happier.

Now it's true that Sonny told her sister about her conversation with Carter. And, it was also true that the soccer coach didn't mind the fact that she does have a child. But, what Tawni doesn't know is that Carter also knows about Sonny's second job. And, from what the dancer had collected from her conversations with the younger brunette, it seemed like that occupation didn't bother her much either. So what did bother Carter? That was the question that was plaguing Sonny's mind. "I know she doesn't mind. But, Tawni.. She's your age.."

The younger blonde laughed lightly. "Age is just a number, Sonny. We both know that. Your last boyfriend was your age, and he was an immature prick." She reminded. "I'm not saying go out and get married.. I'm just saying go have a little fun." Tawni said, digging back into the ice cream. "And, hey. The girl might surprise you."

…

Carter was readying herself for bed. One more school day. That was all she had to get through until it was the weekend. Once the weekend rolled in it was nothing but a small thirty minute review for Euro, then it was game time. She had made plans with Ed to go into full gamer mode this weekend. But, for now the twenty year old was fresh out of the shower in her pajamas, hair still wet, but she didn't care, her bed was calling her name. The college student flopped down onto her plush bed. Sometimes she wondered why she ever left this thing. Then she felt a vibration under her chest. She groaned as she reached underneath the comforter to find her phone. When she revived it she readjusted herself. The soccer coach got under the warm blanket and snuggled up with one of her four pillows before so much as looking at her screen.

_1 new message:_

_Me being a stripper doesn't bother you. Me having a child doesn't bother you.. What does bother you? – Sonny 9:57pm_

To say the least this was highly unexpected. In fact Carter just stared at the screen. What bothered her? Why did Sonny care? The brunette scratched her head. She was lost as to why Sonny had even texted her after making it clear that she didn't want to continue whatever they were building. But, she managed to sum up a reply.

_Judgmental people. Infidelity. When people drive into the middle of an intersection because they're waiting to turn. You know. Shit like that. – Carter 10:06pm _

_Lol, that last one wasn't random at all… - Sonny 10:08pm_

_What bothers you? – Carter 10:10pm_

_..That I turned down a date with a great girl. – Sonny 10:11pm _

Carter stared down at that text. She knew she was talking about her. Maybe she still had a shot.

_That offer still stands. – Carter 10:13pm_

_Really? – Sonny 10:14pm_

_Yeah – Carter 10:16pm_

_Well if you'll have me.. I would love to go out with you this weekend. – Sonny 10:18pm_

Without so much as a second thought Carter sent back_'Are you working this weekend?'_ She had already developed an idea other than your typical dinner date. It didn't matter either way if she was working, but the coach was curious. It would inevitably aid in planning out what she had in mind.

_Not at Macy's. I haven't decided if I'm going to the club or not yet. - Sonny 10:21pm_

_Can I have you Saturday night? I don't want to go out. I want to sit around, listen to music, and talk. – Carter 10:22pm_

_I'm yours for the night: ) – Sonny 10:23pm_

As soon as Carter received the confirmation text from the dancer she met last weekend, her cell phone vibrated in her hands. 'Dad' displaying across the clear screen. The brunette smiled instantaneously. She hadn't heard from her father in two days. He normally called her every morning. He would end up getting a very cranky daughter when he called too early, but he wanted to stay in touch as much as possible when he was out of town. "Hey, Dad." The college student said excitedly.

"Hey, pal." Joe Mason's voice emitted from the cellular device.

…..

Back at Sonny's place the dancer was relieved to know she didn't blow whatever chance she had with the college student. She still didn't know what she wanted, but she knew that she enjoyed Carter's company. "You look happy." Tawni said when she exited the hall bathroom of her sister's house. The younger blonde had put her hair up in a loose bun for the night. "Did you text her?" She asked curiously.

The dancer nodded her head. "Yeah, I did." She said quietly, still sitting in the recliner. "Can you watch Hunter Saturday night?"

"Duh! What are sister's for?" The younger blonde replied joyfully. This new girl in her sister's life may not be the one, but she was definitely the one that was going to get Sonny back in the dating game. That's all Tawni wanted. She knew her sister was a prize, now she just needed to get her sister to see that.

…

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**I know this chapter is shorter than the others, but this is all that needed to be put into this chapter. The next one should be back to the normal length of the others :) **


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm not a huge fan of the way I wrote this, but you guys deserved an update. So, hopefully you like this. Feel free to drop a review and let me know what you think :)**

Friday had come and gone. Just like it always seemed to do. The high you get during the school day as it nears its end, and the refreshing feel of a light breeze caressing your face once you step outside of the cement walls that constrict you for most of the day. That feeling was one that Carter Mason received every Friday. She spent her night gorging herself with tasty treats, and delicious snack foods. She and Ed played Xbox into the wee hours of Saturday morning. Both young adults were crashed out in the Mason's living room. Both slumped in a sitting position on the sofa, however Ed's head was tilted back against the wall as he slept, whereas Carter had draped herself over the arm of the couch. An Xbox controller sat in the soccer coach's lap. Neither of them stirred awake until a wild vibration awoke them.

The college students jumped awake at the noise. Their attention immediately falling on the ringing cell phone on the glass coffee table in front of them. It was the shaggy haired boy's phone that was going off. To his surprise it was Brooke calling him. Ed lightly slapped his face a few times to wake himself up. Then the boy picked up his phone and answered the call.

Carter stood from the couch to give her best friend some privacy. Every once in a while Barbie would call him. They would talk from anywhere from a few minutes to an hour. She didn't know how long it would be this time, so she decided to get up and grab some food. One thing Carter hated more than anything was going grocery shopping. She didn't really like cooking all that much either. Living on her own kinda sucked. Yes, she had more freedom than most, but she had to do everything herself. Sometimes she got great pride from it, and others she just wanted someone else to make her something to eat for a change. Which reminded her that she needed to figure out what she would have delivered to the house when Sonny came over later. 'Pizza is always a good bet.'. Carter thought to herself. Even though she and Ed devoured some last night, the college student was ready for round two. She could eat pizza for days.

For now though she would settle with a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Once Carter had finished off her morning meal, she picked the bowl up and slurped out the remaining sugary milk. It was then that her buddy Ed entered the kitchen. "Hey." He greeted flatly.

"What's up?" The soccer coach quizzed as she whipped her mouth with the back of her hand.

The shaggy haired boy shrugged. "She's going to the movies later tonight." He informed his best friend. "She wants to know if we want to go with her and a few of her friends." The boy said as he sat down in front of Carter and reached for the box of cereal.

Carter sat there and stared at her friend, waiting for him to continue. "And?.." She urged him to tell her the rest.

Ed looked as if he was studying the box of sugary cereal he held in his hands. "I told her you were busy, but I would meet up with them."

The two college students sat in silence for a moment. Something was on Ed's mind. Carter could tell by the way he seemed all too interested in the white cardboard box. He was staring at the front. All of the activities and mazes where on the back, so she knew he wasn't even really looking at anything. "What's wrong?" She asked genuinely concerned. This wasn't like her friend. He was normally lively in the morning. Most times he would already be online setting up a class on CoD, or loading up Battlefield.

Ed finally put down the cereal box, and looked at his best friend. "She was really adamant that you go." Carter wasn't tracking where her bud was taking this. "I asked why she wanted you to go so bad.. I thought maybe she was trying to set you up, but she said she wasn't."

The soccer coach was still at a loss. "..So, she wanted to hangout? Where's the problem here, Ed?" She asked him curiously. Sometimes girls just wanted to be around other girls. No big deal.

The shaggy haired boy ran his right hand over his face. "She said, and I quote 'I kinda want to hook-up with Carter. I've never been with a girl though, so I don't know how to like even talk to her like that.' End quote." At his words the soccer coach furrowed her eyebrows. She didn't ever in the slightest pick up on any vibe that would lead her to believe Brooke had a thing for her.

"Ed, I-" Carter began to say, but Ed put his hand up in the air to stop her.

"It's not your fault, Carter. It's not like you were trying to get with her or anything." Her best friend reassured her. He knew his bestie would feel slightly guilty, even though she had no legitimate reason to.

It hurt the young soccer coach to hear Ed say those words. In time Brooke would get over whatever weird thing she had for Carter. But, Ed had liked Barbie for a long time now and Carter knew the boy would be in some emotional pain for a couple days. It was going to take some serious work to get Ed to try to go after someone else. There was really only one thing she could do at this point. She knew she would have to text Shane. He was always the wild one. He would know how to get his brother to loosen up and move forward all the while having a good time.

…..

Before Ed had left the Mason home later that afternoon, Carter was sure to send Shane a warning text. She let the older man know that things took a horrible turn for his younger brother, and that he would need a good distracting. They both had tried in the past to get the boy to steer away from Brooke with no avail. Now, however, he didn't exactly have a choice. Hearing the girl you like say she wants to get with your best friend is nothing short of heart wrenching. Carter would do whatever she could to help. For now she planned on steering clear of Brooke herself.

But, Carter couldn't think of that much longer. Sonny had just sent her a text saying she was heading over to her house now. So, the college student made sure to clean the house the best she could. The mess that she and Ed had made last night was now gone with no trace of ever being made. The house smelt of apple cinnamon, the fragrance spray that Carter found hidden under the kitchen sink in the cabinets.

Now all that was left to do was to set the mood. The soccer coach traveled in the hall that leads to the staircase. She stopped at the hall closet. The brunette opened the door, and retrieved four white unscented candles. She shut the door, and headed back into the living room. She placed two candles on the glass coffee table in front of the sofa, and one on each side table on both sides of the couch. Now she needed to light the candles, so the college student went back into the small kitchen and dug through the drawers until she found something suitable. Matches. With the red box of matches she voyaged back into the living room and finished her task of lighting the candles.

Then the twenty year old reached into her pocket to pull out her cell phone. She needed to ask Sonny what kind of pizza she liked. Most people like pepperoni, but Carter didn't want to just assume. What if she was wrong? What if the dancer didn't eat pork? What if she was a vegetarian? Then Carter remembered the blonde couldn't possibly be a vegetarian since she ate a chicken sandwich on their first date.

Just as the brunette was going into her messages to text Sonny a knock came to her door. Carter stopped what she was doing and stared at the door. She set her phone down on the glass table, and then walked toward her front door. Without thinking the soccer coach swung open the door to reveal a gorgeous twenty-six year old blonde standing on the other side. "Hey." Carter greeted with a blissful smile gracing her features.

Sonny noticed the way her date's voice was elevated to a higher pitch, and the way she seemed to light up once she saw her. Sonny thought it was adorable. "Hey." She said with her own smile on her face as she pulled the younger girl into a hug.

"Come in." Carter said as they pulled away from the warm embrace.

The younger brunette held the door open for Sonny. As soon as the blonde entered the Mason home she noticed the low lighting immediately. "Candles, huh?" She questioned as Carter shut the front door.

"What? Just cause I'm young means I can't try to throw a little romance in?" Carter replied with a grin as she walked back over to the coffee table to pick up her cell phone.

"I don't know, why don't you put the phone down youngin." Sonny shot back playfully.

"Whoa grandma.." the twenty year old replied, walking over to the entrainment center. "I'm just trying to play some soft music." She said as she hooked her phone into the surround sound system in the living room. Normally she used it when she played video games, but its purpose was now switched to supplying them with some tunes.

While Carter was busy fiddling with her phone, Sonny decided to have a seat on the sofa. The same one they had had sex on during their first date. "And, just what kind of-" She began to tease the younger girl, thinking that she was going to get your average top forty song. However she was pleasantly surprised when the younger girl's music choice played softly throughout the room. "Alicia Keys.. Wreckless Love.." Sonny said knowing exactly what song was coming through the speakers.

The brunette walked towards the couch to sit with her date. "Surprised?" Carter quizzed as she took a seat next to the blonde. When she sat down she took this time to look over the dancer. Tonight she was in a black skirt, white top that was generous enough to show some cleavage, and a pair of cream colored four inch heels.

"A little." Sonny replied with an amused smirk as she removed her heels. "I hope you don't mind." The blonde stated about her shoe removal.

"Not at all." Carter said.

After the blonde had taken her heels off she definitely noticed the soccer coach eyeing her legs. "So, you have me all alone in your home again." She pointed out, looking around the empty house. "What did you have in mind for the night?" She asked, returning her attention to the younger girl next to her. Sonny lifted her legs onto the couch, bringing her knees closer to her chest. She wasn't going to just dive in and give Carter what she knew she wanted. Sonny wanted it too, but she also wanted to pick the soccer coach's brain a little before they got all hot and heavy. Even though she admired the low lighting emitted from the candles placed in the room. It was soothing to her. But, she still wanted to talk first.

"Well.." Carter said. "First thing I would like to know is your last name." She said as she got more comfortable herself. The brunette rested her elbow on the back of the couch, and rested her head on her hand.

Sonny followed suit with what her date had done, and rested her head on her hand as well. "Oddly enough, Munroe." She informed the beautiful twenty year old before her, poking fun that her last name was the same as the town Carter lived in. "What's yours?"

"Mason." Carter replied proudly. "I want to know whatever you're willing to share with me." She told the blonde as she reached out with her free hand and grabbed the blonde's.

The dancer took a deep breath. "You first." She said, lacing her fingers with the brunette's.

That wasn't the reaction Carter had been anticipating, but maybe if she opened up a little first then it might encourage her blonde date to do the same. "My favorite color is blue.. I love to watch movies. My favorite movie is The Bone Collector. My friends and I sometimes try on a Brooklyn style accent after watching it.." She told the dancer. "What's your favorite movie?" She quizzed. Sometimes you have to give a little information to get a little.

Sonny bit her bottom lip. "I want to hear this Brooklyn accent." She giggled. "But, um, my like all-time favorite movie is Gia.. Angelina Jolie is really sexy."

"So, I uh, take it you seen tha Bone Collectah then?" the younger of the two asked in a mock Brooklyn style accent.

Sonny tilted her head back and laughed at how cute Carter was. "That was precious." She said with a huge smile as she looked back at her date. "My favorite color used to be red, but now it's purple." She said remembering Carter had just told her that her favorite was blue.

The soccer coach found herself smiling whenever the dancer flashed her smile. She couldn't help it. "Why the change?" She quizzed.

Sonny's contagious smile faltered. "My mom was dating this jackass." She said, rolling her eyes thinking back. "He drove a red car, so every time he came by I would see his car in the driveway and I just hated it. I hated his car because I hated him. So whenever I see red I think of that asshole.. It's a shame too cause red is such a great color."

"Why did you hate him so much?" Carter couldn't help but ask.

The blonde licked her lips. "He just didn't treat my mother the way he should have." The brunette knew there was more to the story than just that. She didn't push, but Sonny had been in this predicament before. She knew Carter wanted to know what she was talking about. "I told you before that my mom was.. is.. an alcoholic. She started drinking with that guy because he would get drunk and knock her around. I guess she thought the drinking would numb her to it, but the only think it did was make her numb to everything. He ended up leaving her for some other woman, but mom never put the bottle down."

Carter had never had to personally deal with anything like that in her life. She didn't really know what to say to that. "Where was your dad?" She asked quietly. She didn't want to push the boundaries. In fact she didn't really know where they were. But, she was curious about the woman in front of her.

"He died two years ago." Sonny replied indifferently. "He was never around. And, I have no idea why my sister thinks so highly of him. She barely ever saw the man. The only good thing about him was that he paid child support, which inevitably kept a roof over our heads since mom never had her shit together. But, he still never came around. He left the year Tawni was born." She explained, letting out more details than she thought she would've. Carter was just extremely easy to talk to.

The twenty year old was surprised that the dancer shared what she had. She seemed like a very closed off person. Maybe she was making some progress. "My mother passed away when I was about eight." Carter confessed. "She was a flight attendant. One pilot error was all it took." The brunette said, managing to keep her cool. She never talked about her mother's death. It wasn't something she liked to look back on.

"At least you know how it happened." Sonny said releasing Carter's hand, and bringing it up to her face. She placed a loving hand on the brunette's cheek. "Life is shit sometimes. I know. Believe me."

"..I take it you don't know what happened with your father?" The college student asked, taking the blonde's hand from her cheek and re-lacing their fingers together.

The dancer shook her head. "Not a damn clue." She replied honestly. "My mother called me and told me. At first I didn't believe her, but then I got the invitation to the funeral a day later."

Sonny was noticeably shaken by talking about her father. The blonde looked down at her and Carter's intertwined hands. She needed a subject change something. "I'm sorry." The college student whispered.

The dancer shook her head once more, not bothering to look up. "No.. He got me into some bad things once I had grown up." She said trying to shake off the old memories. She looked back up at the twenty year old. Carter seemed so pure. So innocent, and untainted. The way her brown eyes welcomed Sonny's stories without question or judgment worried the blonde. In an eccentric type of way. While their eyes were locked Sonny could feel tears welling up in her own brown eyes. No one had ever looked at her the way Carter was. It was a gaze of easygoing unprejudiced tolerance. A gaze that spoke volumes about the soul this younger girl carried. "..You deserve better." The blonde stated softly, finally breaking eye contact as she looked back down at their hands. The things she had been though led her to believe she didn't deserve someone as wholesome as Carter Mason.

The younger of the two didn't fully understand. But, how could she? She didn't know the dancer's whole story. "What makes you say that?" Carter asked amused.

The older blonde took a deep breath. She needed to relax. "You know what." She said glancing back up to her date. "This is only date number two. But, screw it. Do you really want to know?" She questioned the soccer coach.

Normally, and most often, the brunette would say yes instantaneously if a hot girl wanted to tell her something. But, this was different. Very different. The mood was somewhat heavy. They were connecting on a very emotional level right now. Carter had no other option but to say "Yes."

The college student waited patiently for Sonny to say something in return. She didn't know what was about to be confessed, but she knew it was big. The blonde stared into her eyes. "When I was sixteen I was taken to New Orleans.. I worked the corner of Bourbon Street."

A silence fell upon them. Carter was trying to connect the dots in her head. 'Is she saying what I think she's saying?' the brunette thought to herself. "You were.." She began to mumble a sentence together.

"A prostitute." Sonny said effectively finishing her sentence. She never brought it back up after it happened. She has told only a handful of people. Her sister Tawni knows, and to this day believes somehow it was her sister's fault that she ended up turning tricks. "My father wound up in some shady business. And, I was old enough to be used to make money.. So, he took full advantage." The blonde informed the brunette while a single tear cascaded down her right cheekbone.

"Sonny.." The younger girl said as she wrapped both of her arms around the dancer, pulling her into a warm embrace.

This wasn't something Sonny wanted to disclose, but the thoughts ate away at her sometimes. They kept her up at night. Those old memories would replay. Memories of being beaten, and being forced to do sexual favors for cash. Her own father turning her out was the worst part to her. The man she had called Daddy, was nothing more than a slave trader. He sold her off to a pimp, and basically left her for dead. Sonny broke into sobs as memories crashed her brainwaves. "I'm sorry. I didn't ever think I was going to tell you.." She said as she held onto Carter's arms.

This is what she meant by a dark past. It all clicked in Carter's head. She had been used and abused. Literally. Now all that the brunette could think about was who was Hunter's father? Was it some John that Sonny had a run in with? Or, was Hunter from a real relationship? "Is this why you didn't want to go out with me?" She couldn't help but wonder as she held the blonde in her arms.

At that question the dancer pulled away from the college student and looked at her carefully. "I have a lot of baggage. And, a son. And, a sister. I'm a package deal.. And, honestly look at you. You've got such a bright future. I can tell just from speaking to you. You deserve someone better. That's why I turned you down."

"I don't care about your past." Carter said quickly. "And, I understand you're a package deal. I accepted that the moment I saw that you had a son."

Either this girl was one hell of a sweet talker, or she was being sincere the blonde rationalized. "Can you just.. Kiss me, and make it better?" She asked, letting herself feel with her heart, pushing her negative thoughts away. Sonny was the queen of pushing people away. She was going to try to break that habit with this one. This one she could sense was a good one.

Carter didn't say anything back to the blonde. She simply let her lips met the dancer's in a slow, loving kiss. A kiss that said 'I'm here, and even though we don't know one another.. I'm not going anywhere.'.

…..

One thing seemed to lead onto another, and another. Never once though did the actions of the night reach a rowdy pace. Much unlike their first sexual encounter that was heated and rough. This time their encounter was gentle, sweet, and paced. There was no rush. No need for fast paced stimulation. Tonight it was taken slow. The twenty year old was able to give Sonny the love that she was in need of. A love that could be physically touched. Carter rarely made love, but tonight she had made an exception. They spent hours rolling around on the floor. They shared smiles, playful love bites, and overall a lustful evening of love making.

The time was now passing four am, and what the brunette wanted to do now was something she enjoyed. It wasn't going in for another round. No. It was something entirely different. The sweat on their bodies hadn't yet had the chance to dry before Carter stood from the floor. She yanked the blonde right up with her. "I want to do something with you." The college student confessed.

The dancer smiled. "What's that?" She asked rather curiously. After what they had been doing all night she was ready to pass out.

Carter grabbed the throw blankets off of the sofa, and off of the chair in the Mason living room. She handed one to the naked blonde standing in her living room. "Wrap yourself with this." She instructed as she began to wrap herself up in one of the throw blankets as well. The blonde did as her date asked, and got cozy in the blanket. "I don't know about you, but I love watching the sun come up."

Sonny smiled big at Carter's words. "So do I."

The soccer coach took the dancer by the hand and led her to the front door. The two walked out onto the porch just in time to see the sky's colors begin to shift. Carter lovingly put her arm around the shorter woman's shoulders as the dark blue and black sky changed gradually into shades of light blue, and pink. As the sun continued its rise, and the giant orb peaked out from beyond the calm lake water Sonny found herself staring up at the taller girl, whose arm was draped around her shoulders. Ignoring the beautiful sunrise altogether.. she had something better to look at. She couldn't help but to look at this younger brunette and think 'I could really fall for this girl.'.


	6. Chapter 6

**This one isn't as long as the others, but I'm trying to keep a decent update pace. So, here it is. **

The rest of Carter Mason's weekend was spent with her best friend, Ed. She didn't talk about her night with the blonde dancer. Discussing her dates with him wasn't something the soccer coach wanted to do. Her friend was hurt, and she didn't want to rub her blossoming romance in his face. So, instead they went out fishing in hopes he might open up a little about how he was feeling.

The sun was setting out beyond the lake. Carter and Ed were out on an average sized canoe with everything they would need to fish for a few hours. Poles, line, lures, a net, and water to drink. Carter's fishing rod was white with blue horizontal stripes, while Ed's was solid black with the exception of the chrome reel. Both of the college students had their lines casted out, slowly reeling them back in. The soccer coach's plan of getting the shaggy haired boy to open up was beginning to work. The male college student huffed before turning to face his friend. "I wasted so much time." He groaned, annoyed at his situation.

"I don't know if I would call it a waste." Carter replied, glancing over to the boy. "You did what you wanted to do. Despite what your brother and I told you." She said, continuing to reel her line in. There weren't many bites this evening. It was a pretty dull fishing expedition. "At the time chasing her made you happy."

Ed sighed. "But, after all of this.. She tells me she likes _you_." He said exasperated. "You didn't even do anything!" He shouted astonished. "She just.. Likes you." The shaggy haired boy was finally starting to get his feelings out, which is what Carter wanted. "You never do anything. Girls just like you!" The soccer coach thought about what he had said then nodded her head in agreement. She never had to try overly hard to get female attention. It just kind of happened. "How do you do it, Carter?" He asked genuinely wanting to know the answer.

The soccer coach in all honestly had no clue. "I don't." She replied. "I just live. Life will guide you if you let it." She reasoned. That's really the only explanation she had for the way her life had gone in terms of women. They seem to fall into your lap. School on the other hand was something Carter had to put some serious work into.

"..I don't want to think about her." Ed declared as he returned his gaze back to the open serene lake water. "Shane has lost it though.." The boy complained. "He wants to go out to another club." He informed the young coach.

After hearing her friend's words the soccer coach winced. "Ah, I don't think I want to go to another strip club." Carter confessed. To her it would just be weird. She had met Sonny there, and even though they weren't dating she would feel wrong staring at other women like that. For Sonny it was her job to work there. Carter understood that. But, that didn't mean she wanted to go back. Something was just off about it to her.

"He wants to go to Club Ecko." Her shaggy haired friend explained, letting Carter know Shane didn't want to go to another gentlemen's club.

Club Ecko was a night club at the edge of town out in Trenton. The soccer coach took a second to think about it. Ed probably didn't want to go out, but she knew he needed to. "Friday or Saturday?" The coach asked. Odds are the club would be packed with Monroe Community College students trying to unwind from their stressful school week. This meant women. Lots of women.

"Friday." Ed replied casually.

"Sounds like a plan." Carter said, still not getting any bites on her line. They hadn't caught one fish since they threw their first cast. "I'm all for it. Let's dance our asses off." She said playfully nudging her best friend.

Ed smiled at how his friend has always been supportive of him. "Oh yeah." He said remembering something. "Shane wants you to see if you can get any of Sonny's friends to come with us."

"I'll see what I can do." The soccer coach replied. "I know she has a sister around our age."

"Speaking of Sonny.." Ed said remembering that he never asked how the date went. "How was your date last night?" He asked.

This time Carter sighed. "Ed." She said as she stared out at the lake. "To put this politely.. She's bat-shit crazy." Carter liked Sonny. Hell she liked her more than she thought she would. But, if there's one thing Carter can do is see a crazy bitch coming from a mile away.

….

Monday had rolled around, the day no one in their right minds approves of. Carter spent most of her free time that day talking to Ed about games that were due to be released within the next month, and dodging a certain blonde in the halls. She, along with Shane, was doing her best to keep the slightest thought of Brooke out of Ed's thoughts. Surprisingly it wasn't appearing to be that hard.

But, after the school day was over Carter and Ed had to go their separate ways. The soccer coach hopped into her father's old rusty white Bronco, and was off to Lincoln Elementary for another afternoon of soccer practice. When she arrived, already changed and ready to go, she made her way to the cafeteria where the aftercare center was located. They held aftercare in the cafeteria in case any of the children wanted to buy snacks, and the lunch tables were perfect desks for the elementary students to complete whatever homework they had been assigned. Of course the kids were allowed to go play on the playground and roam the school's halls. But, Carter needed to speak with the aftercare attendants in order to check out the players that attended the after school program.

Denise was stationed behind the counter in the corner of the lunch room. "Hey." Carter greeted cheerfully. This was her favorite part of the day. She had found a strong love for coaching soccer.

"Hey, Carter." The aftercare attendant welcomed. Denise was a fairly young black woman, with salon styled hair. She worked in the office part time, and the rest of the time she was head of the aftercare program. She certainly helped the soccer coach rally the kids for practice, and last year she was a huge help with the paperwork required to take the children from aftercare. "Come for your little players?" She asked with a smile, already knowing the answer.

It was that time, and that's the only reason Carter ever walked in here. "Yes ma'am." She replied sweetly, resting her elbows on the counter top.

"Alright, baby. I'll round em up." Denise stated. She reached under the counter and retrieved a megaphone. Her merry facial expression switched to one of authority as she pressed the button to amplify her voice. "All Coach Carter's players! Come to the front! I repeat! All Coach Carter's players come to the front! She is here to take you to practice!" The woman bellowed into the megaphone. A click followed after she released the button.

The young coach glanced back and saw her little players packing their things. "Thank you." Carter said turning her attention back to the aftercare attendant.

…..

Practice had gotten under way successfully. The whole team was in attendance. They had been running drills for a while and were due for a water break soon. The college student blew the chrome whistle she wore around her neck. "Good jobs guys! You're looking good." She yelled so the whole team could hear. "Take five for a water break." She instructed the wild youngsters.

As the children ran hastily over to the benches, Carter began to walk that way herself. Her water bottle was over there as well. But soon her eyes landed on a gorgeous twenty-six year old sitting on the second bleacher up. A smile was instantly brought to the coach's face. Sonny smiled back as soon as they locked eyes. The blonde waved at the incoming brunette. "Hey coach." The dancer said as Carter approached her.

"Hey. You're here early." The college student said as she sat on the bleacher just below the one Sonny was sitting on. She sat so she was facing the blonde. They still had about forty minutes of practice left. "Are you busy Friday night per chance?"

The dancer placed a hand on the younger girl's face. "I don't know yet. It's only Monday." She said looking the brunette over. Sonny could stare at her for days. Carter really was beautiful. During their last sexual encounter the blonde had caught herself thinking 'Wow, I actually get to touch that.' When her and Carter were going at it on the floor.

The soccer coach reached up and grabbed Sonny's hand from her face, and then laced their fingers together. "You know how I told you about my friend, Ed?" the college student asked rhetorically. "His brother and I want to take him out to a night club to try and get him over Brooke." The twenty year old informed the dancer. "I want you to come with us."

Carter had texted Sonny about the problem she was facing, so the blonde knew all about it. "Mmm.. I'll think about it." Sonny said playfully. "That's the girl that likes you, isn't it?" She quizzed.

"Mommy!" Hunter's voice shouted as he appeared next to the two women.

"Hi sweetie." The blonde said excitedly as she let go of Carter's hand and engulfed her son in a hug. "How's practice going?" She asked as she let go of her son.

"Good!" The little boy explained. "Coach Carter said I could be a striker!" He said overjoyed. Enrolling him in soccer was turning out to be a great decision. It gave her son something to do while she was working instead of just sitting around. That and it seemed to make him tremendously happy.

The dancer glanced over to the soccer coach. The coach had seen that look before. "A striker is an offensive player. He'll be right up there in the keeper's face kicking balls in the net." The brunette clarified, ruffling Sonny's son's hair.

"Coach Carter, you talk to my mom a lot." Hunter stated rather bluntly.

The blonde laughed at how observant her son was. Carter on the other hand didn't know how to handle that. "Uhh.." The brunette stammered.

"It's okay. I'll handle it." Sonny said knowingly to the twenty year old. Then she looked back at her son. "We just like to talk, sweetie." She told her little boy.

Carter glanced around to see what all the players were doing. She wanted to let them have a little fun, so it was time for some scrimmage. "Do you want to scrimmage, Hunter?" the coach said looking back to the black haired boy.

The green eyed eight year old sipped his water bottle. "What's scrimmage?" He asked unsurely.

"You'll like it." The brunette stated as she stood up from the bleachers. "I'll talk to you after practice." She said to the dancer. "Come on." Carter said patting Hunter's back.

Sonny watched her son walk away with Carter towards the field. Maybe this could workout. It was far too early to tell though. But, the thought was nice. The dancer sat there as a small game broke out and she finally got to see her little boy play. She had seen him run a few drills, but seeing him happy as he kicked the ball and passed it off to a teammate warmed the dancer's heart.

…..

Sonny was intently watching the game of scrimmage when she noticed other parents had begun showing up. One person in particular caught her eye. A young blonde that seemed to be observing Carter, rather than the game going on out on the field. She didn't think much of it. She stared at Carter as well when she first saw her. It was hard not to.

Out on the field the young coach's watch went off, alarming her that practice was over for the day. She picked up her whistle and blew it. "Time!" She yelled so the players could hear her. "That was a great scrimmage guys. But, practice is over for the day." She informed her team. "High fives, then all of you can go get water and see your parents." Carter said kneeling down with her right hand up. All the kids ran past her, high fiving her as they went.

Once all the children high fived her, she stood up and made her way over to the bleachers. "Carter!"

At the sounds of Brooke's voice the coach internally groaned. This is the one place she can't avoid Barbie. She can't kick her brother off the team. That would be wrong on various levels. She knew she was just going to have to suck it up, and deal with it. "What's up, Brooke?" Carter asked on her way over.

Brooke didn't know what this feeling was she had towards the soccer coach. She never liked any other girl before. She wasn't sure why all of a sudden she liked Carter. To her Carter had always held a certain appeal. Barbie had heard that every girl had that wild card. That wild card female that could change everything. "I didn't see you much today. I was going to see if you wanted to grab lunch with me and the girls." She said, putting forth her best smile.

Normally Carter would think this was just Brooke being her friendly self, but now she knew better. "Ed and I went out to grab some food." She shrugged.

"Oh. I guess I should've just texted you then." Brooke said with a light giggle.

'This is gonna suck.' The brunette thought to herself. "Look, Brooke." Carter said putting her hands on her hips. "I don't want you to be upset with Ed, but he told me what you told him." She said referring to the phone call they shared Saturday morning.

"Umm.." Brooke mumbled bashfully.

"It's cool. I don't have a problem with it, or you, or anything like that." The soccer coach started to explain her take on the issue. "But, you have to understand that Ed has liked you for a while now. I can't go against that." She stated.

Just as Brooke was about to say something in return, Sonny came up to Carter and hooked her arm through the taller girl's. "..Who are you?" Barbie questioned confused as to who this woman was that just got touchy with her current crush.

Carter's heart rate sped up. She didn't like this. It made her very, very nervous. All she could hope was that the extra six years Sonny had on Brooke also gave her a sense of maturity about the situation at hand. "Sonny." The blonde replied with a convincing, but still fake, smile.

The coach breathed in deep. "This is the second reason behind my decision." Carter said motioning to the blonde now on her arm. "I'm in the process of courting Sonny."

Barbie was at a loss. She didn't know anything about her crush being with someone else. For all she knew Carter was still living the single life with no love interest in sight. "Ed.. failed to mention that." The twenty year old blonde said lowly.

"No worries." Carter said to Brooke as Sonny rested her head on Carter's shoulder.

The soccer coach could feel the tension. Women were like animals. Women are animals. It gets down played by society and the media. But, in reality everything a woman does in her daily routine is animalistic. When they wake up they put on make-up, which is symbolic for war paint. They are extremely territorial, example: right now. In her own special way Sonny had just laid claims on Carter. Therefore, defending her territory.


	7. Chapter 7

**I didn't proof read this so hopefully there isn't too many mistakes. But, I wanted to hurry up and get it on here. So here it is :)**

Well it was officially that time. It was time for Club Ecko. It was nine thirty-four, and the music was bumping. Shane was at the bar buying the trio a round of shots. Sonny was due to arrive any minute. But, right now it was just Ed and Carter kicking back at a table watching the crowd move. The whole club was fist pumping to the beat as Shane reappeared with three shots of Patron. "Your first shot is served." He said with a smug grin. He was loving the fact that he had gotten his younger brother out twice in the past few weeks. A small victory, but a victory all the same.

"I need a chaser." Ed stated.

"Me too." Carter added in. Neither of them ever really got into that party spirit. They had been to maybe two parties in all of their high school lives, and avoided the college parties. It just wasn't their scene. So, because of that they never learned how to drink.

Shane let out a frustrated sigh. "You guys are little bitches." He said, pointing an accusing finger at the younger adults. "Bitches." He repeated for effect. Then he walked off to go fetch the minors some soda to wash their shots down with. As Shane walked away Carter and Ed shared a laugh at his persistence. Sometimes Shane was just funny to have around. Not that he was a funny guy, but some of the things he did were just hilarious.

Carter felt her phone vibrate against her leg through her jeans. She pulled out the device and saw that Sonny was calling her. The soccer coach covered one ear with her hand as she answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey. We're here. Where are you?" The dancer's voice emitted through the phone's speaker. But, Carter couldn't hear her over the booming music.

"What?" The brunette shouted into her phone. Then she heard it click. 'She just hung up on me.' Carter thought to herself. The dancer knew how this was going to go, so she just hung up. But, swiftly sent the college student a text seconds after.

_Meet me at the front. We're here. – Sonny 9:42pm_

At seeing the message the coach looked up at her best friend. "She's here."

"The stripper?" Shane asked excitedly as he returned with two sodas. He remembered how hot she was, and he couldn't wait to get a good look at her again.

Carter rolled her eyes. "Her name is Sonny." She informed him before walking off.

Sonny and two of her friends entered the club. Marissa, the woman she used to live with, and still works with at Panther's. And, Chloe, a woman she works at Macy's with. Both have dark brown hair, and both women are known to get a little wild. That's why all three of them are friends. They've gotten Sonny out of the house on occasion just to remind her that there is a life to live out there. And, these girls were damn excited when they got called up by the blonde. Normally it's like pulling teeth to get Sonny out of the house, so when she called them asking if they wanted to go to a club, they couldn't refuse. The two girls traveling with the blonde had gotten a small brief about Carter. They knew she was the person Sonny was fucking, but Sonny left out a detail that didn't go unnoticed. How young she was.

Carter Mason made her way to the main entrance of the club. She was dressed in what she would normally wear out. Her hair was down and pin straight. She had on a dark green top, blue skinnys with a brown belt, and brown cowboy boots to match. Now, there were only two kinds of shoes Carter wore. Converse, or cowboy boots. In fact her shoes surprised Sonny, because when the blonde saw them she said "Cowboy boots?"

The college student glanced down. "Yeah." She replied with a smile. "Chucks or boots. That's the only way to live. And, cleats when I'm coaching." She stated, but the blonde didn't say anything. She just stared down at her boots. "What?" Carter quizzed.

Sonny looked back up to the twenty year old. "It was just unexpected." She said with a chuckle.

"I think they're super cute." Marissa spoke up realizing this was the girl Sonny had told them about. "I'm Marissa by the way." She added with a friendly wave.

"Chloe." The other woman said introducing herself. She immediately noticed that Carter looked fairly young.

"Nice to meet you guys. I'm Carter." The coach said introducing herself to the two older women. "The guys are over there by the bar." She told the pack, pointing off to where Shane and Ed were.

The twenty year old took one of the blonde dancer's hands in hers and led the group over to their table. "Oh my, my, my!" Shane shouted upon seeing three beautiful women accompanying his friend. "We were just about to have our first round. Can I get you ladies a shot, so you may join us?" Only Shane could be polite and still manage to come off like a sleaze.

But, still the three ladies weren't going to turn down his offer, so they told him to order three more. Once he had come back each person had a shot in front of them. They all raised their shot glasses in the air, clanking them together for a 'cheers' before emptying the small glasses' contents into their gullets. Carter and Ed, picking up a soda can to wash the alcohol with definitely didn't go unnoticed. "Did you just use a chaser?" Sonny teased her date.

The soccer coach looked at her and nodded. "Yeah. I told you I'm not a partier."

"Oh Sonny!" Marissa started teasing. "You need to teach this girl a thing or two." The brunette dancer said amused. Carter was really cute. Adorable even. But, she just seemed too soft for someone like Sonny. Marissa could already see that this girl Carter wasn't the date for fun type. She could see that Carter would be a good long term girlfriend. It was pretty obvious. So, maybe if Sonny was going to settle this girl wouldn't be half bad she reasoned.

The blonde dancer placed her hand on the coach's forearm. "Honey. I will train you. Don't worry." She assured.

Just then a song came over the sound system at the club, and the three older women shared a knowing look at one another. "This is our jam, ladies!" Chloe screeched. I'm Out buy Ciara blasted throughout the club. It was their single ladies/post break up anthem.

"Let's go dance." Sonny said excitedly, pulling Carter towards the dancer floor.

The soccer coach wasn't sure what was happening, but regardless she followed the blonde out onto the floor. The crowd was already dancing to the beat. The blonde dancer led her out into the middle of the floor. Once they were out there she grabbed both of Carter's hands and pulled them over her shoulders. Sonny positioned Carter behind her, then started dancing to the song. The blonde steadily found the beat, and proceeded to move her hips to the rhythm of the hit song.

Carter was in heaven. She had danced with a few girls here and there. But, none of them knew how to move their bodies the way Sonny was. In fact she wasn't all that sure what to do. She stood back and enjoyed the show. Admiring the dancer's backside. It wasn't like she needed to do much.

The longer the song went on the more aroused the young coach became. Having the blonde dancer grind against her pelvis was beginning to take its toll. Carter's mouth became watery, and her sense of touch seemed to heighten. Soon the song changed, and when it did Sonny spun around so that she was face to face with the younger girl. Wild Ones by Flo Rida featuring Sia blasted out into the crowed dance floor.

The blonde took Carter's hands in hers, lacing their fingers together. She rested her forehead against the coach's. "Show me how you'll do." The dancer sang staring deeply into Carter Mason's eyes. "I wanna shut down the club with you-oohh. Hey I heard you like the wild ones." It surprised the brunette how well Sonny could sing. It was unexpected, but before she could even begin to question it the beat picked up and Sonny, along with all the other people on the dance floor, jumped to the beat.

…..

After several songs, and a few more shots the group of six had begun to settle down. Carter and Ed didn't drink any after their first round. The duo isn't really into drinking. They'll have maybe one or two to loosen up for the night. But, the fact remained that they drove to Club Ecko this evening. The three women that showed up shortly after them had downed several more shots right alongside Shane. However the three older women had taken a cab to the club, and planned on taking one back to their homes once the night was all said and done.

As time passed the soda/alcohol mixture they had swirling around in their stomachs needed releasing, so the three ladies excused themselves. They made their way back into the darkened hall that provided them with a restroom. The trio entered the washroom in a fit of giggles. "He's trying so hard." Marissa laughed uncontrollably at the thought of Shane's attempts to flirt with her. He even tried to dance with her a few times, but she casually slid away each time. The brunette dancer actually ended up dancing with Ed for most of the night. Ed wasn't trying to grope and feel her up; he was fun to dance with because the college student didn't care about how he looked out on the floor.

"Is that the kind of shit you guys have to put up with at Panther's?" Chloe asked the dancers, laughing right along with them at Shane's antics.

Sonny and Marissa exchanged a knowing look with one another before turning back to Chloe. "Yeah." The dancers replied in unison. "That's your typical customer.." Sonny added in as she walked into one of the stalls.

Her friends followed suit and went into the other open stalls. "You said you met Carter at work?" The brunette dancer hollered while the ladies did their business. She hadn't seen the young soccer coach that night. She was busy with one of her regulars.

"Yeah. She came in with Shane and Ed." Sonny replied filling her in.

An audible huff was heard from the third girl. "Sonny, how old is this girl?" Chloe asked trying to figure some things out.

"Twenty." The blonde answered as she stepped out of the stall.

Sonny went over to the sink to wash her hands. "Don't you think that's a little young? What does this girl do for a living?" Chloe quizzed as she too exited her stall.

Marissa exited hers as well. She wasn't sure where Chloe was going with this, but even she got a bitchy vibe from her questioning. "She does free-lance photography on the side." The blonde dancer explained. "She goes to school full time, and coaches a little league soccer team.. And, I know she's young, but she has a great head on her shoulders." Sonny rationalized as she dried her hands with some nearby brown paper towels.

Chloe wanted to get something straight. "So, is work like a buffet for you guys?" She asked sarcastically as she and Marissa washed their hands. Both of her stripper friends were currently with people they had met at Panther's Cabaret. Marissa's long term boyfriend was once a customer at the gentleman's club. At this moment the only reason the brunette stripper even continued to work there was to pay off her college loans. After all she was still attending classes to become a nurse.

Overall it just seemed as if these girls could pick and choose anyone they wanted that walked into the place. But, with Chloe's attitude the dancers bit their tongues to avoid causing a scene in the night club restroom right then and there. "A buffet of sleaze balls maybe." Marissa retorted.

"The majority of people that walk into a place like Panther's are assholes that think because you're a stripper that you're easy." Sonny chimed in. Her retail friend was severely mistaken. "People like Carter, and Jay are one in a million in a place like that." She said referring to the chivalrous manner in which the young coach, and Marissa's long term boyfriend behaved and carried themselves. The task of having someone who doesn't mind what you do is a difficult one to accomplish. Most people won't seriously date a stripper for one of two reasons. One, they're too insecure. Or, two, they've bought into the stereotype.

"Not everyone is content with what we do for extra cash." Marissa stated. "The vast majority thinks we're whores. And, yeah some girls have sex for money. Some go in the back and do drugs just to be able to stomach grinding on that pathetic excuse of a man sitting by the stage-"

"Marissa!" Sonny shouted, cutting her off. She knew where this rant was going. She had faced the adversity many times over that her best friend was exposing to Chloe. And, maybe one day they all could dive in and discuss the matter, but right now was not the time. "She doesn't understand." The blonde said calmly. "Let's just not get into it." Sonny said glancing over to the woman she worked retail with before leaving the restroom.

Chloe glanced over to Marissa. "All I was trying to get at was that I think this Carter girl is too young." She said apologetically.

"That's not for you to decide." Marissa explained. "It's Sonny's choice. And, as long as the girl treats her well then I have no issue with how young she is."

The retail worker nodded her head. Then she reached for the door, but stopped. "I've never seen her with a girl before either." She confessed.

At the other woman's confession the dancer laughed. "I have." She said as they exited the restroom.

…

When everyone had arrived back at the table Chloe spoke up. "I say we dance for a few more songs then bounce out of here." She said trying to lighten the mood between herself and Sonny. "What do you say Ed?" She asked the younger male to her right.

Ed displayed a smile that beamed at the mention of hitting the dance floor again. "I'm down." He replied gleefully. Since him and Carter had spent most of their life outside of this type of environment Ed hadn't ever had two beautiful women dance with him like he had tonight. He wound up being the meat in a Chloe/Marissa sandwich earlier, and he had no objections to being a part of that once more. It was safe to say the plan to make him forget about Brooke was working.

Truth be told Sonny was agitated, and the alcohol in her system wasn't helping her temper any. But, when she felt Carter tug at her hand to go dance some of the anger melted away. "Let's go dance." The college student requested.

The blonde stripper complied with her date's request, and let the younger girl lead her out onto the dance floor. But, before they walked into the lively crowd of people Sonny stopped just short of the crowd. She pulled the coach close to her so that she could whisper in her ear. "I want you to take me home."

Carter pulled back to look at the blonde. It wasn't a 'take me home so we can fuck' look. It was a gloomy look that the brunette couldn't read. "Right now?" She asked the stunning twenty-six year old.

Sonny shook her head. "No." She replied. "Whenever we all leave."

Carter didn't want to push for an answer as to why, so instead of questioning the blonde, she leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

…

…..

After the club, and after Carter drove Ed and Shane home.. She finally arrived at Sonny's. The car ride to Ed and Shane's was filled with her best friend repeatedly thanking Sonny for bringing her two friends out that night. He had had the time of his life. Meanwhile Shane was rolling his eyes. He received no attention from the two guests brought by the blonde dancer. He was forced to go off and find random girls to dance with. He even got a number, but that wasn't the point. Shane was just bitter that Sonny's hot friends wanted nothing to do with him.

However now that the night was over a certain white bronco was pulling up to the Munroe residence. Carter pulled up on the curb; Sonny's Toyota was parked in the single car driveway. The blonde glanced over to the brunette that drove her home. They had been holding hands the whole way. Carter looked back over at the blonde, a warm smile on her face. Sonny returned the smile, then leaned over and took ahold of the keys in the ignition and turned the vehicle off. Without saying a word she took the keys, and released Carter's hand, and exited the bronco.

The young soccer coach watched the dancer get out of her car and start walking towards the house. Carter laughed to herself. "She could've just asked me to stay.." She mumbled before hopping out of the vehicle herself.

The brunette trotted up behind the blonde who was unlocking her front door. When Sonny opened the white painted front door she turned around to face Carter. "Shhhh." She said placing her index finger over her lips. "Tawni and Hunter are sleeping." The brunette nodded, understanding the need to be quiet.

The younger girl followed her date into her home. Once the blonde shut and locked the door behind them a noise immediately grasped Carter's attention. It sounded like something was coming down the hallway. Carter took a step towards the hall to see a gigantic Doberman. It barked deeply at her. "Shit." Carter grumbled.

"Bruce!" The blonde whispered harshly at the rather large animal. "Go lay down." She commanded with authority.

The massive creature hung his head, and let out a defeated whimper. "..You could've told me about the dog." Carter said quietly. Sonny brushed off her date's comment, and set off down the hall. The brunette followed behind her, watching the big dog as she went. The Doberman, Bruce, trotted right behind Carter the whole way to Sonny's bedroom. And, then continued to follow them inside. "Shut the door for me, Carter?" the blonde asked as she faced her queen sized bed, and began to strip off her clothing.

The younger girl did what was asked and shut the door. When she turned back around Sonny was shimming off her jeans. "You know.. you are absolutely stunning." Carter couldn't help but say. The room was dark, but she could still faintly see the older woman.

Sonny smirked and turned around to face the brunette. She walked over to her, placing her hands on the younger girl's hips. Then stood on her tippy toes to kiss the taller woman. It was fairly slow, and Sonny took notice. She always let Carter dictate the speed of their kisses. When the dancer pulled away she looked up into the coach's eyes. "You're kissing me a lot slower."

Carter felt her heart rate jump. She knew she was. She knew she liked this woman way too much. She liked kissing her slowly. She just flat out liked _her_. Carter had no words, just a quiet "Mhmm." Was grumbled.

"Come to bed." The dancer suggested, pulling at the helm of the brunette's shirt. Carter let Sonny remove her shirt, and instantly she could feel the blonde's eyes examining her body. Not that she minded. She kicked off her boots, and undid her belt. Sonny eyeing her the entire time. "Have you ever given a lap dance before?" The dancer asked as her date removed her tight jeans.

The brunette was taken aback by the question at hand. Had she ever given a lap dance? "No." she replied removing her denim jeans from her ankles. "Why?" She quizzed, standing back up right.

"Maybe I want one from you." Sonny replied with an arch of an eyebrow.

"Uhh.." The brunette stammered. A lap dance? Carter had only gotten two in her life, and it took her twenty years to get there. Giving one was a little out of her league. She wouldn't even know where to begin.

The blonde giggled as she took Carter's hands in hers and led her to the bed. "Not tonight. I'm tired. But, maybe sometime soon." She said as she got into her bed. Carter followed suit and got in after the blonde. And, as soon as Carter jumped in the bed so did Bruce.

Sonny snuggled into the twenty year olds side, and waited to see how her dog was going to react. Bruce often had issues with someone being intimate with Sonny. The last time she had someone in her bed like this the Doberman growled and barked at the bed's other occupant. With Sonny's ex the dog eventually got used to him, but whenever Bruce was in the room he would hop up on the bed and get between them. This time however, with Carter, he stared at her. Then curled up behind his owner.

"Wow." The dancer said surprised.

Carter looked over at the woman she had wrapped under her right arm. "What?"

"Do all dogs like you this much?" The dancer asked. Her dog's behavior had taken her by surprise. She didn't expect him to behave so well. Sonny received an odd look from Carter, so she began to explain. "Bruce doesn't like me being with someone in my bed. Even Marissa. Whenever I'm even sitting on my bed with someone he'll get up here and sit between me and the other person."

The soccer coach picked her head up, and saw that the rather large dog was laying peacefully behind Sonny's legs. All Carter could do was shrug.

…..

The next morning the two women were awoken by the bedroom door flying open. "Sonny I need a-" Tawni halted her speech once she saw a certain coach occupying the queen sized bed with her older sister. "Oh."

Both women stirred awake. "What is it Tawni?" Sonny mumbled with tired eyes.

"Nice rack!" The younger blonde jokingly shouted at seeing Carter Mason's exposed upper body. The brunette had on a plain black bra, but her modest C cups were practically begging to pop out.

In the midst of the night neither woman had moved from the position they fell asleep in. Sonny's head was still atop Carter's chest. The blonde yanked up the comforter to cover up the twenty year olds bra covered breasts. In Sonny's mind those were her goodies, and no one else but her needed to see them. "What do you want Tawni?" The older sister asked sternly.

Tawni was wearing quite the amused grin. "I need a ride to work." She replied.

Sonny groaned. She was way more tired than she thought she was going to be. Carter on the other hand was now wide awake. "I can take her if you want." Carter whispered to the dancer.

This display of utter sweetness was a shock. The blonde knew Carter was a sweet one, she really did. But, this gesture touched her heart. "..If you don't mind." Sonny said gratefully.

"It's no big deal." Carter shrugged.

"You better come back." The dancer playfully ordered. "I'll cook you breakfast."

Carter nodded, than stood from the bed. Tawni was still standing in the door way, long forgotten by her sister. At this moment both blondes were watching Carter slip on her jeans. Tawni knew Carter had to be fit to have enough energy to deal with all those little kids at practice, but she didn't necessarily expect to see a soft six pack on the brunette. "You have a rockin bod." Tawni informed the coach.

"Hey!" Sonny shouted at her sister before Carter could so much as even thank her for her compliment. "Go wait in the living room." She demanded.

The younger blonde rolled her eyes, and left the bedroom. "You alright?" The soccer coach asked the dancer, chuckling at her.

The mother of one laid there watching the twenty year old get dressed in last night's clothes. "Tawni refuses to admit she's into girls."

"Maybe she's not." Carter stated as she slipped on her boots.

"She is." Sonny replied confidently. "Ask her about Amanda Hernandez when you're driving her to work."

The brunette smiled. "Ok. I'll need something to talk about anyway. I hear if you get in good with the sister then you're set." She joked, walking back over to the bed to give Sonny a quick kiss.

"mMmm." The blonde hummed against the younger girl's lips. Then she deepened the kiss just a little by running her tongue along Carter's lips. Carter gladly opened her mouth and kissed her back with hunger. So much so, that she climbed back onto the bed, and on top of Sonny.

The two women found themselves entangled in lust. Their lips gliding over on another's perfectly. Their tongues caressing each other's. The blonde's hand was inching its way down Carter's toned body towards the rim of her tight jeans. "Guys! Seriously?" Tawni yelled from the door way. At the sound of her voice Carter jerked away. "..At least shut the door."

The soccer coach sighed. "Are you ready to go?" She asked as she climbed out of the bed for the second time this morning.

Tawni giggled. "Yeah. Are you?" She teased because of what she just walked in on. Maybe the two love birds needed a minute.

With that Carter said. "Yeah. Let's go. Where do you work?"

The young blonde explained that she worked at a café downtown as they walked through the hall. "Coach Carter!" A wild haired Hunter exclaimed from the cloth covered sofa in the living room.

"Hey little guy." The brunette replied. "What you watching?" She questioned after seeing him sitting on the couch staring at the tv.

"Planet Earth." He replied.

Carter furrowed her brow. She glanced over at the television and sure as shit he was watching Planet Earth. This was extremely weird to her. When she was a kid, hell even know, on weekends the twenty year old can be caught watching cartoons. "You don't want to watch cartoons?" She asked the little boy.

Hunter shook his head. "I like science."

Carter breathed deep, and stared at the small child and he stared back at her. "..You and I, will watch Spider-Man." She told her player. "But, right now I have to take your aunt to work." She said ruffling his already messy hair.


	8. Chapter 8

**Alright guys I didn't proof read this one either. So, if there's mistakes... Suck it up. **

**Thank you to all of you that read and review. You guys know I love, love, love hearing what you have to say and what you think and want to happen in my stories. That's one thing I love about this site is that I can get inspiration from the reviewers. **

One question seemed to be plaguing Sonny Munroe's mind. When was Carter going to ask her to be her girlfriend? They had been going out, grabbing dinners, hell Carter even took Hunter and her to Chuck E Cheese for a date. In truth that's where this whole 'when are we going to make it official' thing had begun.

FLASHBACK

Carter was being the perfect date. She was managing playing with Hunter, and still maintaining a respectable flirting session with Sonny. It wasn't until it was time for them to go that started this craze in Sonny's mind. A man. An overweight man, who had been eyeing the blonde all night in admiration of her beauty. He had been the man at the door that stamped their hands. And he was still the worker manning the front door when they left.

As they approached the entrance/exit the overweight man stopped them. "Excuse me ladies." He said politely. "I was just curious.. Are you two together?"

The soccer coach and the dancer glanced at each other, neither saying a word. "Ehh." Carter replied, shaking her hand horizontally in the air. She was going to leave this question to Sonny. At the time Sonny had no clue why.

"So, you're not together?" The man asked rather confused.

The dancer opened her mouth to speak, then shut it. She tried to find the words for what they were. "We're.. not together.. We're dating.." She pieced together, looking at Carter for some help. But, Carter didn't seem to want to lend a helping hand. Instead her son piped up.

"Coach Carter sleeps over." The little boy stated. "I think it's funny when Coach carries mommy on her shoulders like a firefighter." He chuckled at the memories of his mother screaming for Carter to put her down. Despite Sonny's occupation, she managed to keep her little boy as innocent as she could.

END FLASHBACK

Ever since then Sonny was stuck wondering if and when they would become an actual couple. The blonde questioned the young coach as to why she made her answer the man. Carter simply replied 'I like when people look at my woman.'. The soccer coach explained further that when someone else hits on the girl she's with she takes it as a complement. To her it meant she had someone that other wanted just off sight.

Still Sonny wondered. When? And, will they become official? At the moment she was sitting in the café that her younger sister worked at. The blonde sat in a respectable purple top, and a white skirt with matching white pumps. The dancer stared out the window sipping at her warm cup of coffee. She glanced over her shoulder to see if Carter was on her way back yet. The younger brunette had gotten up to get their lunch from the counter after their number was called. Carter was still standing over there, but now she had the tray in her hand, and Tawni was talking her ear off. Carter seemed to fit right in with her family, which in all honesty amazed Sonny.

Soon though Carter came back lightly laughing. "Your sister is insane." The brunette said as she sat down with the tray full of food.

The dancer smiled. "I know." She replied, picking up the salad she had purchased off of the tray.

Coincidently the two women's lunch hours matched up, and they were able to grab some grub together. Carter picked up her chicken wrap and began digging in. "We're supposed to pick a team name next week." The coach mumbled with a full mouth.

"Do you have anything in mind?" Sonny asked.

The younger of the two shook her head. "I don't pick. I just let the kids throw things out there, and try to teach the art of compromisation."

"Alright." The blonde said putting down her fork. "I have a question." She said looking Carter in her seemingly always shinning brown eyes. Carter chewed her food and waited for the blonde in front of her to ask what she wanted. "How many people have you dated?" She quizzed.

The coach was quick to reply. "Two."

Sonny looked at her skeptically. "…Two?" She said astonished. But, then smiled. "You're so innocent."

"..Innocent enough to get you to come over this weekend, so I can fuck your brains out?" The younger of the two responded, taking another bite of her wrap.

The blonde's smile faltered. "And, there it goes." She joked about her previous comment about her being innocent. "I would love to spend a night with you this weekend, but I need to go to work. I have bills due soon."

"Gay." Carter grumbled.

The dancer laughed at the twenty year old. "If you want.. You could drop me off and pick me up?" She said hoping the brunette would be up for it.

The coach grinned. "Yeah. I can do that."

…..

…..

Ed was still a tad hung up on the blonde affectingly nicknamed Barbie. It was going to take time. Carter understood that. So, she would be there as much as she could. Video games and study sessions were running at an all-time high. Shane had left to return back to his home, leaving the young soccer coach to handle her best friend's remaining heart break. But, right now Carter had just arrived at Panther's Cabaret to drop of the beautiful woman she had been seeing recently.

The Mason's white bronco pulled up to the front entrance, and came to a slow stop. "What time do you want me to pick you up?" the twenty year old asked, glancing over to the dancer.

Sonny made sure she had everything she needed in her purse. "Umm.." She said trying to find her phone. When she found it she read the time. 10:42pm. "Can you be here at four?" the blonde quizzed, looking over to Carter. That was when the club closed for the night. She figured it might take her until 11:30 to get dressed and fix her make up in the locker room, so she might as well just tough it out until closing time.

"I'll be here." Carter replied, offering a smile.

The blonde beamed. "Great." Then she leaned over towards the twenty year old. "Thank you for this." Sonny said as she cupped the coach's cheek and connected their lips for a sweet peck.

Carter Mason watched the older woman hop out of the bronco. She noticed other people watching the blonde as well. Men at the front door who were outside smoking a few cigarettes were practically eye fucking her when she walked passed them. This conflicted Carter. On one hand she was proud her girl was getting so much attention. Sonny after all is damn gorgeous. But, on the other hand these people wanted more than to just look. They wanted to touch and take her home. That was the type of industry Sonny worked in. Carter knew that when she met her at the very place she had just dropped her off at. It's the person not the place that matters. She knew Sonny was a good woman. So, the twenty year old had no worries as she drove off.

The young coach was on her way back to the Munroe residence. Sonny had told her she could stay there if she wanted, and that if she did to try to talk to her sister a little bit. Sonny wanted to the two to get along. As the twenty year old pulled into the drive her cell phone went off. Carter turned the vehicle off and grabbed her phone from the center console. It was her dad.

Carter quickly answered. "Hello?"

"Hey pal. What you up to?"

The agent's daughter hadn't spoken too much about the woman she had been spending copious amounts of time with, but she felt it was time to say something to her old man. "I'm at a friend's house." She replied. "How are you doing?" She asked excitedly.

"We're getting close to wrapping this mess up." Joe paused. "Are you at Ed's?"

"..No. I'm at a girl's house." Carter confessed to her father.

"Oh ho ho." Her dad said teasingly. "Care to tell you father who this _girl_ is?" He said dragging the girl out. He never cared his daughter preferred women. It was fine by him. Joseph noticed the way other women looked at his daughter. It was as if they could just sense it about her, and were drawn to her. There was one occasion when he was taking his little girl shopping two years ago when a woman stopped when she heard them discussing the possibility of Carter becoming a cop. Carter never became a police officer, but that pretty woman that stopped told Carter all about training camp. She had just gone through it and was patrolling the streets.

The twenty year old sat back in her seat. "I met her about a month ago." Carter confessed.

"Well pal, I have plenty of time." He father said wanting to know more. "I'm done with work for the night. Tell me all about it."

Carter stared out her windshield at the household the Munroe's resided in. A light flickered in the living room window. Most likely the television. "I, um.. Her name is Sonny.. And, she's really pretty." The soccer coach said slowly informing her father.

"Umhm. Where did you meet her?" He asked completely unaware of the answer he was about to get.

The twenty year old's dad had always been rather chill about remotely anything Carter ever had to say. "I met her at a strip club." She told the FBI agent.

"Carter.." Agent Mason grumbled.

"What dad?" He didn't react the way that she thought he would.

She thought her father wouldn't mind, but the tone in his voice had proven otherwise. "I'm not going to tell you not to see her." Her father began. "But, I am going to tell you to stay guarded. I'm sure she's beautiful, pal. I don't doubt that for a moment.. But, just promise your old man you won't get in too deep too fast?"

Carter let out a sigh. "I promise."

"Good." The agent said relieved. "Now, tell me more about this girl."

Sonny was far from a girl. She was a woman. This was Carter's jump into the big leagues. Every time she saw the dancer and her sister interact it was clear that Sonny was a woman. Carter knew that if this didn't work out she would never go back to dating regular girls. She would always want a woman. But, if her dad reacted that way about the blonde being a stripper, then how was he going to react to her having a child? "Well you know how I'm coaching again this year?" The college student asked rhetorically. "Sonny has an eight year old that's on the team." At her statement she heard her father sigh. "He's a great kid." Carter said before her father had a chance to scold her.

"She has a kid.." Agent Mason grumbled. "Carter, you're a kid."

In an effort to lighten the mood Carter chuckled. "Dad, I'm not a kid anymore." She reminded. "I've been staying at home by myself for months at a time since I was fourteen. I have my own handgun. I'm in college with a job on the side.. I can handle a relationship with an older woman that happens to have a child." The twenty year old explained to her father.

"Are you trying to build a relationship with this woman?" The FBI agent questioned his daughter.

".. I don't know." The coach admitted. "I don't know where I'm taking this. But, I like what we have right now."

"Fine." Her father huffed. "But, Carter. Be. Careful."

"I will." She said for the second time this conversation. She loved her dad, she truly did, but she didn't like the damper mood echoing throughout their conversation. "Dad I love you, but I gotta go make nice with Sonny's sister." She said politely letting him know she needed to get off the phone.

"Fine.. But, we will talk about this when I get back." Agent Mason informed his daughter.

The father daughter pair said their goodbyes and I love you's, and then Carter got out of her bronco. She walked up to the Munroe's front door, took a deep breath to calm her nerves, then entered. She didn't remember exactly when she had started just casually walking into the house without so much as a single knock. But, it just seemed normal. "Hey Carter." Tawni greeted from the Munroe's sofa.

Tawni was curled up watching Sleepless In Seattle, chocolate bar in hand. "What is with you and sappy movies?" Carter groaned as she plopped down on the other side of the sofa. Just then Bruce came running down the hallway, and proceeded to jump onto Carter's lap. "You are too big for this." The coach grunted, petting the large Doberman. But, the dog just looked at the twenty year old, then licked her face. "Oh, gross. Don't do that."

"Oh, come on Carter." The nineteen year old blonde said staring at the brunette. "You love that dog." She stated. Tawni and Sonny both thought it was cute how much of a liking Bruce had taken to Carter since Bruce doesn't normally take a liking to anyone.. "I know you have a favorite chick flick." She inquired, remembering Carter's comment about her movie choice.

The soccer coach glanced over to the slightly younger girl. "..Mean Girls."

The blonde's face lit up. "That's so fetch!"

"Stop saying fetch. It's not gonna happen." Carter joked back, quoting the film.

"Coach Carter.." A tired voice called from the hallway.

The two young women looked over to the hall to see a very sleepy Hunter rubbing at his eyes. "Hey bud. Did we wake you?" The coach quizzed, still petting the dog. The black haired eight year old nodded. His hair was all disheveled and he looked like he was still half asleep. "Well let me tuck you back in." The brunette said gently pushing Bruce off of her and standing from the living room sofa. "Come on. I'll put on some Spider-Man cartoons."

Hunter followed his coach back into his bedroom. The little boy climbed back into his twin sized bed that has a dinosaur covered comforter set. Carter turned his small television on, and went to Netflix. Originally Sonny was against putting a tv in her son's room, but she ended up doing it to keep him occupied and she limited what he was able to view. That's why most of the time Hunter was watching something educational.

The twenty year old turned on the old Spider-Man cartoons she used to watch as a kid. Hunter said a hushed 'thank you' before he almost instantaneously fell back to slumber. The college student watched the child sleep for a moment. She was getting herself into something very serious. Her father was right. This was a big deal. Yes, this was amazingly fun. But, she wasn't just messing around with Sonny. She was messing around with the family trio. She wasn't just getting herself in deep with a beautiful blonde, she was getting in deep with her sister and child. One thing was for sure.. Carter needed to do some thinking..

The coach left the boy's room and returned to the living room setting with Tawni. "You're really good with kids." Tawni commented. Carter didn't have a response. Her thoughts were weighing in on her. "And, honestly at first I thought you would've been good just for a fling." That immediately grasped the brunette's attention. "But, the way you treat her says a lot. Her ex not once got up to take me to work, or take Hunter to school when she was tired from a long night of waitressing at bars." Tawni said comparing the two. Waitressing and bartending was Sonny's cover for what she really did.

Carter had taken Hunter to school once on a Monday morning. Sonny hadn't worked Sunday night, but her crazed work hours were catching up with her and Carter noticed. So, she did what she thought any good girlfriend would do.

…..

At 3:30am Carter Mason's alarm went off full blast. She had retired back to Sonny's bedroom for a quick nap before having to go pick her up. The twenty year old quickly grabbed her phone and silenced the annoying sound. She groaned as she struggled to get out of the comfortable queen sized bed.

Once she was up she gathered her keys, and put her phone in her pocket. The coach smacked her face lightly to wake herself up as she walked down the hall. Bruce followed her all the way to the front door. "Stay." Carter commanded the beast as she unlocked the front door.

Soon enough Carter was on her way, and had arrived. She parked near the front. There were a few vacant places, so she took the best one she could manage. The brunette anxiously awaited for her blonde dancer to exit the club. There were a few stragglers out front with beer bottles and cigarettes in their hands, surely customers that got booted due to the club closing for the night. Within a quarter passed four Sonny was in sweat pants and a hoodie, purse hanging from her left shoulder, coming out of Panther's front entrance.

Carter watched as the men out front hooted and hollered at her, but the dancer kept her head down pretending not to hear them. She made her way over to the bronco, and hopped in. As soon as the blonde was in the vehicle she planted Carter with a kiss. "Thank you for doing this." She said centimeters away from her lips.

"Eh, I kinda like it." The brunette confessed. Sonny pulled back to look at the college student. "All those guys want to be with you. But, I'm the one picking you up." Carter said glancing over to the stragglers. Most of them had their mouths dangling open in shock of seeing the woman they had been ogling get in a car with another woman and kiss her upon sight.

"They're totally jealous of you right now." Sonny stated giggling. "But, baby I am so tired." She said grabbing Carter's hand.

The coach brought Sonny's hand to her lips and placed a light kiss on it. "Why don't you take a quick nap, and I'll wake you when we get to your place?" She quizzed letting go of the dancer's hand. The blonde didn't say anything in return. She just hummed in agreement. And, then they were off to the Munroe residence.

…..

The dog stayed quiet when the two women entered the home. He knew better than to bark at this hour. The two lovebirds walked back to Sonny's bedroom, and striped down to their bra and underwear. Then got into bed together. Both laid on their side, Carter big spooning the blonde dancer.

They laid in perfect peace, and the young brunette was almost asleep when the blonde rolled over to face her. "….What?" Carter asked groggily.

The blonde touched her nose to the brunette's. "You are so sweet.." She whispered in the darkness of the room.

"Shut up.." Carter said jokingly, her voice slightly raspy from how tired she was growing.

"I'm serious." Sonny replied with a grin.

The college student stared into the dancer's eyes. She wanted to say it. It almost slipped out. How could she not feel that way in this moment? Those three words that she refused to say until she was sure almost fell out of her mouth. How hard was she falling for this woman?


	9. Chapter 9

**Some of your questions might be answered in this chapter. I appreciated the amazing reviews you guys left on the last chapter :)**

**This one is kind of a filler. Hope you like it. **

It was another day at the soccer field. Practice was coming to a close. At the moment the team of eager eight year olds were running about practicing dribbling and ball control. The twenty year old coach blew her chrome whistle, signaling for the children to cease and desist. Each of the players paused what they were doing and looked at their coach. "Gather around." Carter ordered, waving her hand in the air gesturing them to make a half circle in front of her. "Ok, guys." The coach said once the team was in front of her. Carter bent down on one knee and looked at her players. "..It's time to pick a team name."

The crowd of eight and nine year olds jumped up and down in excitement. "Tigers!" Olivia shouted with a fist in the air.

"No." Joshua disagreed. These two drove Carter crazy. In a good way, but still drove her a tad wacko. They were just like this last year. Best friends that didn't agree on a damn thing. "We must be Dragons!"

The rest of the team raised into an uproar over the topic. The players shouted out names of different animals at the top of their little lungs. The coach sighed, and face palmed. As the twenty year old dragged her hand down her face she yelled over the children. "We'll have a vote!" She instructed as she stood up. "Go to your parents, gather up some paper, and write down what you want the team to be called. One vote per player!" Carter announced.

The players darted off towards their parents, and if their parents weren't at the field yet they went to their friend's parents. Carter slowly began her walk to the bleachers. The closer she got the bigger her smile grew. The beautiful blonde woman she had been seeing was divvying out paper and pencils from her purse for the players to use. The dancer glanced up and saw the young coach headed her way. Sonny instantly smiled when their eyes locked. "Hey coach."

"Hello Ms. Munroe." Carter greeted warmly.

Every so often the two women would speak like they didn't know each other intimately solely for entertainment purposes. "I know you're all alone in that big house tonight." Sonny said tauntingly as she stood from the set of bleachers. "Why don't you come over to my place, and uh.." The blonde said as she unbuttoned one of her top buttons on the white button up shirt she had on. "Let me make you something to eat." She said huskily.

The dancer was oozing sexuality, and the soccer coach's mouth had begun to water. "Ms. Munroe.. Are you coming on to me?" Carter played back, holding her hand to her chest in mock shock.

Sonny was trying to stay in her predatory character. It was growing increasingly hard not to laugh or crack a smile. "Do it right.. and I'll be cumming on you."

Carter couldn't hang. She couldn't do it. "Fuck.." The twenty year old groaned. "I know you're playing, but jesus.." The brunette said bending down to put her hands on her knees.

Finally the dancer could laugh, and she did. "Ahahaa What's wrong youngin?" The blonde teased, buttoning her top back up.

The coach stood up straight. "Oh, I don't know. Some smoking hot woman tells me she wants to cum on me.. Instinct tells me to pounce, but I can't because there's like twenty kids running around." She mumbled. "You're too hot." Carter shrugged. "This will never work. You're too hot." She joked.

Sonny arched an eyebrow. "Is that right?" the dancer quizzed, clearly amused.

The twenty year old nodded, continuing their playful shenanigans. "Yeah. And, those eyes.. Damn those eyes." Carter said all of a sudden becoming serious. "Every single time I look into them.."

The coach had trailed off, and looked anywhere but in the blonde's eyes. Sonny's entire domineer changed. They're jolly mood transitioned into something much heavier. "Every time you look into them.. What?" The blonde questioned. She wasn't sure what was going on in the younger girl's brain. It could have been anything. The dancer's anxiety was creeping up on her, and she let doubt fill her thoughts.

But, then Carter grinned and looked back at the twenty-six year old in front of her. "Every time I look into your eyes I feel at home." The coach said staring back into the blonde's brown eyes.

The doubt that Sonny had felt creeping its way into her was now faded. True, Carter had done things to Sonny's body that no one has made her body feel before in the bedroom. But, in moments like this Sonny could see into Carter Mason's soul. She could see she was still pure hearted. "..I-" Sonny cut herself off. Her mouth almost moved faster than her brain and she almost spit out an 'I love you'. "I, uh." The blonde said as she began to giggle.

Carter's smile widened. "What's up?"

Sonny glanced at the grass below her, then back up to the twenty year old. "You just.. you make me happy." The blonde replied with a face eating smile.

"Good." The coach said with a hint of arrogance. Then the brunette turned around to see where all her players were. "Hand in your votes!" Carter shouted.

….

Even though Sonny was toying with Carter earlier at practice she was serious about the college student coming over for dinner. And, at the moment Carter had just arrived at the Munroe household. After practice and a nice hot shower the college student hopped in her Bronco to pick Tawni from the café, then the two traveled back to the house. The coach headed straight for the kitchen where Sonny was whipping up some chicken and cheese enchiladas.

"It smells so good in here." The coach stated upon entering the kitchen.

The blonde turned away from the stove to see her lover. "You said you liked Mexican, right?" She quizzed as she went to retrieve some plates from the cabinet above the sink.

"I love Mexican." Carter said excitedly, and then went over to peak into the oven. "Enchiladas?" The twenty year old said happily. They were her favorite. "I love enchiladas."

Sonny grabbed enough plates for everyone, and shut the cabinet door. When she turned around Carter was right next to her. She couldn't help but notice how good the younger girl smelt. "You smell really good." The blonde complemented.

"Thanks." The coach replied, gently taking the plates from the blonde. "I showered." Before Sonny could make a snarky teasing comment back the doorbell rang. "You have a door bell?" Carter quizzed as Bruce began to bark.

The dancer giggled at the coach. "Yeah. Some people use it, some people knock. And, then there's you. Just busting on in like you own the place." Sonny teased as she glanced over the brunette's shoulder to check the time. "Baby, take the enchiladas out. I'm going to see who is at the door." She said as whoever was at the house rang the doorbell once more.

The blonde exited the kitchen mumbling something about people being impatient. Carter put the plates down on the table and went to open the oven door as she heard Sonny command Bruce to go out back. The college student put on the floral designed oven mitts that were on the counter, and reached in and retrieved the dinner dish. She placed the dish in the center of the table, then heard Sonny yell something. It wasn't a scream or anything that would warrant she was in trouble. It was more of an aggravated sentence that was yelled.

Carter walked closer to the living room, and then heard the argument that was taking place. "What the hell Sonny! I can't believe you're with some girl now!" A man's voice echoed. It had a slight accent, almost Hispanic sounding.

"Wilmer. I have a child. I will not argue in front of, or where he can hear me." The blonde scolded harshly. "Furthermore, you have no right to show up at my house out of the blue like this screaming and shouting."

"I do when I go to pick your sister up from work, and get told by that faggot she works with _how in love_ you are with some girl!" The man yelled. "What? I'm not good enough, so you had to go to women?"

"Let me make one thing clear." Sonny's tone was unforgiving. "I am_ not_ your girlfriend. If you choose to run around picking my sister up that's on you. What I do in my private time is up to me. You know I'm bisexual. It shouldn't matter if I'm fucking a man or a woman, Wilmer. The fact remains the same. We are over."

"This is the thanks I get for putting up with your shit!"

"My _shit_?" Sonny yelled back. "My shit!?"

"Yeah. Your shit!" He yelled. "I put up with so much bullshit for you! And, what? What do I get in return? Not a damn thing but you going behind my back!"

At that moment Carter decided to make her presence known. "What's going on?" the coach questioned. She finally got to look at the man that was yelling at the woman she had been spending so much time with. He was average height. Tan. Dark spikey hair, and a little goatee on his chin.

Wilmer stared at Carter. "Is this her?" He asked Sonny.

"Actually, it's Carter." The college student spoke for the blonde, introducing herself.

Instinctively Carter pulled Sonny behind her, and Wilmer noticed. "What are you like eleventeen?" the Hispanic man quizzed while making fun of how young she looked. She was certainly younger than him, but he was considerably older than Sonny.

"Alright." Carter said with a light chuckle. "This is how this is going to go. You have three options." She said stepping closer to the door. "One. You leave. No harm no foul." The twenty year old offered. "Two. I call the cops and have you removed." She said as she stepped outside of the home. "Or, three. I will make you leave the property. And, you don't want option three."

Wilmer had unknowingly taken a few steps back. But, at Carter's third option he felt challenged. "You're going to make me leave?" He quizzed disbelievingly. This girl was going to make him leave? No way.

"If that's the way you want to do this." Carter stated, reaching into her front pocket and pulling out a switchblade knife.

The amusement he once felt was long gone. He stared at the knife in the twenty year olds hands. "Do you even know how to use that?" He provoked, not letting his guard down.

The soccer coach shrugged. "One way for you to find out, huh." She said all too confidently as she took a step towards him.

Wilmer stumbled back. "Carter!" Sonny shouted. "Stop! I am not having this!" The blonde yelled as she walked outside and got between them. "Go home." She ordered her ex.

"I just want to know one thing.." He said looking at his ex-girlfriend, searching in her eyes. "..Are you fucking her?"

"Yes." The blonde replied without hesitation.

"Is she better than me?" His pride was on the line. In his head he was being emasculated.

The dancer sighed. "Go home Wilmer." She huffed.

"I will after you answer me."

Sonny stared at her ex for a moment before whispering. "..Yes."

Wilmer felt defeated at Sonny's words. His heart wrenched and he held back tears. He clenched his jaw tightly. He knew she was being truthful. The dancer's ex turned around with his tail tucked between his legs as he walked to his car. The blonde let out a deep sigh before she turned around to face Carter. "If you ever. Ever. Complain about having to put up with my _shit_.. I will slap the pretty off of you." She warned the younger girl. "And, put the knife away." She disciplined. "Why do you even have that?" Sonny demanded to know as she reentered her home, Carter following in tow.

"My dad got it for me when I was seven." The college student replied as she shut the front door behind them.

The dancer turned around to look at Carter. "Your dad got you a knife at seven?" She quizzed questionably. She couldn't even picture her son with a knife. The whole idea seemed ridiculous.

"Yeah." Carter replied, but had something on her mind. "Who was that guy at the door?"

The blonde headed back into the kitchen. "He's my ex-boyfriend. We were off and on for a while."

Carter followed Sonny back into the kitchen and watched her. The blonde fell back into the rhythm of cooking. She had some Spanish Rice cooking on the stovetop. All the coach could manage to do was watch her. "..Sonny. Are you ok?" The brunette asked as she walked up behind her, wrapping her arms around the short woman's waist.

The dancer placed her hands over Carter's forearms. "Yeah. I'm fine.." Sonny replied as she stirred the rice on the stove. Carter stayed behind her, but moved the blonde's hair to one side so Carter had access to her neck. The college student placed delicate kisses on the dancer's neck. "Mmm.. Don't." Sonny hummed as she turned around in the brunette's embrace. "After dinner, ok?" The dancer said, pecking Carter's lips. As she pulled away Carter nodded her head in agreement, but Sonny couldn't take her eyes off of her. "..You are so pretty." The blonde whispered, running her hand along the coach's cheek.

The twenty year old smirked. "You think so?"

"Yes." Sonny said returning the smile.

"Well I think.." Carter said as she crept closer to the blonde, inching forward for a kiss. "You are stunning." She said just before connecting their lips.

It was second nature for the dancer to kiss Carter without hesitation. Even though she was busy cooking she let her lips find a rhythm with the younger girl. That was until she remembered she had something cooking on the stove. "Mhmm.. Carter." The twenty-six year old laughed, playfully slapping the brunette's shoulder. "Damn it, I'm trying to make you dinner."

Carter chuckled, and removed her arms from the dancer. "Ok. After dinner."

"Can you go get Tawni and Hunter? Tell them dinner is ready." The blonde asked as she spun around to turn off the burner.

The coach agreed to round everyone up for dinner, and set off to find them. She went to find Tawni first. The younger blonde was in her room painting her toe nails. "Was that you guys yelling?" The nineteen year old questioned the college student when she entered her bedroom.

"Ehh.. It's not important." Carter stated. "Dinner is ready though." She said, then left. The twenty year old wasn't up for talking about what happened. She was a little shaken up by it. She had never pulled a knife on anyone before. Maybe later she would try to get more in depth with what the whole thing was about with Sonny and her ex. But, for now she was working on calming not only her nerves but Sonny's. Is this really what Carter was going to have to deal with though? Crazy ex's coming to the house?

The soccer coach rested her back against the wall in the hallway, and just breathed. She knew Tawni would be a minute, and she could hear Hunter playing in his room. She was safe to just relax for a minute. Then Hunter came busting out of his room, an airplane in his hand as he ran down the hallway making a buzzing sound. 'A crazy ex, a kid, and a sexually confused sister..' Carter thought to herself. She was internally conflicted.

….

After a smooth, laughter filled dinner Carter felt more confused than ever. Right before dinner she felt as if she couldn't handle a potential relationship with Sonny. But, after sitting through dinner with the odd family she found herself falling for them as a whole family.

"I'm sorry about you having to deal with Wilmer." Sonny apologized. Currently she and Carter were out on a walk, holding hands. Hunter had been put to bed for the night, so they let Tawni have some alone time in the house and decided to take Bruce for a walk.

They have walked the Doberman a few times. Each time Sonny has to hold the leash. Bruce never followed Carter's commands very well. The couple was rounding a corner when a question popped into the college students mind. "Is Wilmer Hunter's father?"

The blonde chuckled. "No." She said glancing over to Carter. "Don't get me wrong. He's a great guy.. but, he's a little boy himself. And, I don't have time for someone that refuses to grow up."

"Who is Hunter's father?" The brunette couldn't help but ask. Sonny's demeanor altered to a more solemn state. "If you don't want to talk about it, it's cool." The coach said after noticing the change in mood.

The dancer didn't say anything for a moment. In truth Carter felt awkward. She wondered why she even asked the question. "There's a park right up there." Sonny said pointing off in the distance. The park was about two blocks away. "Let's go sit on the swings."

So they did just that. The two women made their way to the park, and once they arrived Sonny tied her dog up on a pole. "Come sit down. I'll push you." Carter called out from the swing set.

The dancer walked over and sat down. Carter kissed the top of her head before gently pushing her. As the blonde swung with the aid of the coach she felt as if she owed her an answer. "Do you really want to know who Hunter's father is?" She quizzed as she flew back up into the air.

"If you're willing to tell me." Carter replied.

Sonny had a choice to make. She could tell the younger girl, or she could avoid it. She knew Carter wasn't the kind of person to persist over something like this. She had already opened up so much to her, so why not about this.. Sonny was still waiting for Carter to ask her out. So, right then and there Sonny decided either this girl was going to accept her fully for who she was, which she has done so far. Or, she was going to run like most others have done. Sonny was going to take her younger sister's advice and just take the risk. "..I don't know who his father is." The dancer admitted. "When I was in New Orleans I always made the Johns use protection.. But, fate just so had it that I wound up pregnant. Somewhere along the way some John's condom broke." Carter kept pushing her swiftly while she continued. "When I found out I was pregnant.. My pimp beat me, and left me in an alley.. I ended up stealing change from a homeless man, and calling my mother. it was the first time she had heard from me in years.. If I hadn't gotten pregnant with Hunter I would probably still be working the corners in New Orleans."

Carter grabbed the chains of the swing Sonny was on, and stopped it as slowly as she could. Then the coach walked around to the front. She kneeled down and saw that Sonny had silently let a few tears fall down from her eyes. The twenty year old wiped away the blonde's tears. She didn't know what to say, so Carter did the only thing she could think of. She pulled the dancer close to her, kissed her forehead, then pulled her into her completely.

The blonde was wrapped up in the twenty year old's warm embrace. And, she broke. All the emotions she had kept inside poured out. And, Carter soothed her by rubbing her back and planting loving kisses in her sweet smelling blonde hair.

…..


	10. Chapter 10

"She pulled a knife on Wilmer?" Marissa asked through her laughter. Sonny and Marissa were in the locker room of Panther's Cabaret. The two dancers were applying their make up for the night as Sonny ran her friend through her events with Carter.

The blonde put down her mascara. "Yes, and I'm really beginning to wonder what will become of us." Sonny admitted. She had opened up so much to the younger girl, maybe more than she should have. "Maybe I've been too honest." The blonde stated. "Maybe I'm not good enough in bed. I mean I've never eaten pussy before. Maybe I'm not good at it." She said letting doubt fill her mind.

Her best friend stopped what she was doing, and put her lip gloss down. "What the hell are you even saying?" She said looking at the distressed blonde mother. "Sonny, stop being so insecure. You're a bombshell. A hard ten.. This girl is smitten with you. I saw the way she looks at you." Marissa said grabbing Sonny's hand. "Give her time. You know first-hand how crazy our lives get.. She's new to it."

"I know and that worries me." Sonny said trying to explain herself.

Marissa didn't let her continue. She cut her off before she could even say another word. "Don't. Did the youngin not call you this morning? Did she not text you between her classes? Does the girl not tell you how beautiful you are?" The brunette dancer quizzed. "Stop worrying. In time she will ask you out. I know how you think Sonny. And, despite what you're thinking she isn't too good for you. She's what you deserve."

"Hey, gurl." The Hispanic stripper that gave Carter her first dance called out. "Listen to your friend. And, as far as the pussy eating thing goes. It's just a different set of lips. Kiss it just like you would your girl's mouth." Cinnamon advised as she left the locker room. Giving Sonny's ass a quick pat on the way out.

Cinnamon was a character, and she got the blonde dancer to crack a smile. "Why don't you call her?" Marissa asked, holding up the blonde's cell phone. "Maybe talking to her will calm your nerves." Sonny glanced at the cell phone then nodded her head, and took the phone.

Over at the Mason residence Carter and Ed were gaming it up playing Bioshock. At the sound of the oven timer going off both college students dropped their controllers. They hopped up and jogged into the kitchen. Their food was ready, and they were starving. Ed opened the oven door while Carter grabbed a nearby rag to wrap her hand in. The coach pulled out the tray of pizza roles as Ed retrieved a bowl from the dish washer. Carter got kind of lazy sometimes and didn't bother removing the clean dishes. It was part of the cycle. Dirty dishes rested in the sink until all of the clean dishes in the dish washer were used. Then Carter would put all the dirty dishes back in the dish washer and wash them that way. And, the process repeated itself several times over.

The duo returned to the living room, but for now they would put the controllers down. Every so often they liked to watch old movies. Film class will take its toll on a person. Before Carter enrolled in it she never was much of a movie buff, but after being in it for a while she had started to look at movies in a completely new light. "Isn't your dad due back soon?" Ed quizzed as they sat back down on the sofa.

"He's supposed to be back in a few days." Carter replied as she skimmed though the movies on Netflix. "Did you bring your laptop? This selection sucks." Carter asked her best friend as she put down the television remote.

"Yeah." Ed answered as the shaggy haired boy dug through his backpack.

While Ed pulled out his Dell laptop Carter's cell phone rang. "Give me a minute, Ed." The coach said upon seeing it was Sonny who was calling her. She picked up her cell phone that was lying on the arm of the couch, and stood to head to the kitchen.

"Hello." The twenty year old said as she answered her phone.

Back at the club Sonny felt a sense of relief. "Hey." She said feeling a blush creep up on her cheeks. "I just wanted to hear your voice."

"Oh my god." Marissa whisper yelled at her blonde friend. "You're seriously blushing right now."

"Shut up." The blonde embarrassedly shot back at the other dancer.

"I didn't say anything." Carter said as she sat down at the dinner table in her kitchen.

"Oh, not you Carter." Sonny said through the phone. "Marissa was giving me grief."

It was noisy on the blonde's end of the line. The music from the club, and the chatter from the locker room came through clear. Carter could faintly hear a woman in the background say 'yeah for _blushing_'. "Why are you blushing?" The college student asked feeling entertained, a small grin on her features.

"Carter, you make me believe in things I had given up on a long time ago."

"Good." The young brunette replied. "You should never give up hope. If I made you believe in something you had given up on, then I feel somewhat accomplished." Carter said with a smile. "Hey, do you want to grab breakfast?"

"I'm working until four.." Sonny said feeling bummed that she couldn't take the younger girl up on her offer.

"Yeah, I know. I meant like at four." The coach said straightening out what she asked.

Just as Sonny was about to give Carter an answer the dance manager came up to the blonde. "Layla, you're on next." The burly man informed her.

"Ok. Thanks Jim." The blonde dancer said before going back to her phone call. "Sorry babe but I gotta go. I'm on next.. Pick me up tonight?" She asked hopefully even though she knew she was going to receive a 'yes'.

…..

The plans had been made. Carter was going to pick up Sonny at four am from the club. But, until that time she was going to waste her night away playing video games with her best friend. The two buds had been gaming for hours. They had been so entranced that when the front door flew open to reveal a very tired Agent Joseph Mason, they jumped. "Have I been gone so long that I scare my little girl?" The agent said chuckling at the college students.

Carter quickly hopped to her feet, and ran over to her father. "Dad!" She yelled over excited to see him as she wrapped her arms around him in a tight bear hug.

"Hey, pal." Mr. Mason said overjoyed to be home, and with his daughter. He returned the firm hug. "I missed you." He told Carter as she let him go.

"I missed you too." The soccer coach replied.

The FBI agent glanced around and saw Ed. "Hey, Ed. How have you been?"

The shaggy haired boy stood from the sofa to shake Joe's hand. "Great, sir. I'm glad you're back, and safe." Ed stated honestly. Ed's father wasn't around much, so in the past few years he began to look at Agent Mason as a father figure.

"I am exhausted." Joe said as he removed his jacket. "But, to keep with our time honored tradition.. Carter. Ed.. Break out Monopoly." The agent ordered. It was something they did every time he came home. It wasn't always Monopoly. However, it was always a game. Not a video game. That was the only rule. Sometimes they did puzzles. Sometimes they played board games. It just depended on Agent Mason's mood.

…..

The three were well into their game of Monopoly. Carter just landed on Boardwalk with a hotel on the property, which was owned by her father. "Whoo! Pay up." Her father cheered.

The soccer coach counted her paper money. She didn't have enough to pay up. "I'm bankrupt." She said disbelievingly. "Did you seriously just win? You never win Monopoly." She said knowing Ed had gone bankrupt a few turns back. Her father winning this board game was a first.

Joe laughed evilly. "Ahahaha! Don't underestimate your old man." He said as he took the money from his daughter.

Carter watched as her father gloated. That was until her alarm went off. "Shit. I gotta go dad." She said as she stood up from the floor.

"Where are you off to at this time?" He quizzed. His daughter was leaving the house at 3:30am? That was very unusual.

The college student shoved her phone into her pocket. "I told Sonny I would pick her up." She shrugged. "I wanted to grab some food with her."

Joe sighed. "I forgot about that." He said rubbing the side of his face. Work had distracted him from the fact that his baby girl was courting a stripper. At this moment he was just rudely reawakened to it. "We still need to talk about that." He said as he too stood up. "I'm not a fan of this." Her father told her, placing his hands on his hips.

"Dad. I'm being careful." Carter retorted.

"Sonny is actually pretty amazing." Ed spoke up. He however remained seated on the carpet covered floor.

The FBI agent looked down at Ed, then back to his daughter. "I don't like this."

"You haven't even met her." Carter pointed out. "And, things aren't that serious between us. No one is dating anyone. I'm just going to pick her up, eat some food with her, and hang out." She said trying to reason with her father. "If things get serious I'll let you know." She told Joe. "We'll do the whole dinner charade if that's what you want." Carter offered.

"Fine." Agent Mason said knowing he couldn't forbid his daughter from anything. She was an adult. He believed she held good judgment. He believed he raised her right. "The moment this thing becomes serious, if it becomes serious.. I expect to meet her." He said becoming authoritative, and pointing his finger towards the ground for emphasis. He used the deep booming voice that used to scare her as a little girl.

It was clear they disagreed on the topic of Sonny Munroe. "Fine." Carter agreed. It seemed like a decent compromise. Then she looked at her friend. "Come on, Ed. I'll drop you off on the way."

The college students said their good nights to Agent Mason. Carter reminded her father that she was happy he was home even though they disagreed on a few things. She loves him and is more than glad to have her daddy back regardless of their minor disagreement. "So, your dad isn't a fan of your lady friend?" Ed asked once they got in the vehicle and on the road.

"He was until I told him where I met her." The coach replied. "I guess that's what Sonny was talking about when she said the stigma of being a stripper."

Ed admired his best friend's ability to see past someone's occupation. He knew if he was in that position he couldn't do it. It would eat away at him every time she left to go dance. "How do you do it, Carter?" He asked as he watched the trees go by outside the window. "How are you okay with being with a girl that rubs up on people for cash?"

Carter knew Ed wasn't asking the question to be a jerk. She knew he was genuinely interested in the way she processed things through her brain. "I guess it's kinda like.. There's two reasons why people don't like dating strippers." She began to explain. Carter had put some thought into it. "I think either people are too wrapped up in stereotypes to actually see the person.. or, they're too insecure to be with someone that dances." The twenty year old had had a lot of things on her mind in terms of Sonny. Never once did she doubt her capability to remain true to a relationship. "I see why people are secretly worried that if they date a stripper, then she'll cheat. But, in the end it comes down to who that girl is as a person.. When I take Sonny to Panther's, or pick her up. There's plenty of people checking her out, and plenty that want to take her home.. But, at the end of the night do you know who she's going home with?" Carter asked her best friend.

Ed looked over at Carter. "..You?"

"You're damn right." She replied. "The way I see it. I'm the one she's coming home to.. Everyone else. Ha. Good luck." She said chuckling.

Her shaggy haired friend chuckled right along with her. "But, how do you know she won't stray?" He quizzed. "What makes you so special?" He asked as they pulled up to his house.

"Like I said Ed." Carter stated as she parked up on the curb. "It's not up to me. It's up to her. It's about who she is as a person.. And, I believe Sonny is a good person."

…

Soon the young coach had pulled up and parked outside of Panther's Cabaret. She had started making a playlist on her phone. She titled it 'Sonny'. As she was scrolling through her songs someone knocked on her window. Carter looked up and saw the woman she came for at her passenger window. She instantly smiled, and unlocked the door. "Hey." Sonny said as she hopped in, shutting the door after she was in.

"He-" The brunette couldn't even get the tiny word out of her mouth before Sonny crashed her lips against hers. "Mmm..Ok." Carter mumbled, kissing her back. She grabbed the blonde by the back of the neck and kissed her harder earning a moan of approval from Sonny. Their lips glided perfectly. By now they knew just how to kiss each other to make it perfect every time. They kissed until a knock startled them, causing them to separate.

"Damn girl." Marissa said from outside the car. "Don't stop on my account." She said giggling at the women.

Sonny rolled her eyes. "Really?" She shouted as she rolled down the window, and Carter leaned back in her seat. Talk about bad timing.

"Sorry Carter." The brunette dancer apologized. "Jay is gonna be late. Can I get a ride?" She asked the college student.

"Um.. Yeah. Of course." Carter replied. She wasn't going to turn her down. That would be wrong. The men hanging out outside the club were comparable to vultures. "We were going to grab something to eat. Would you like to join us?" She offered.

The brunette dancer climbed into the back seat. "I'm starving."

Up in the front Sonny glanced down into the center console and saw Carter's cell phone was lit up. Her name was in big bold letters at the top of the screen with songs underneath it. "Are you making a playlist?" She questioned with a huge face eating smile.

"What?" The young coach said as she began pulling out of the parking space. Sonny held the screen up for her to see. "Oh.. Yeah I was." Carter replied nervously. She didn't expect her to see it yet.

Marissa sat up in her seat to see as Sonny scrolled through it while Carter drove out of the parking lot. Sonny gasped. "I think this is our unofficial song.." She said shielding the screen from the other dancer. "Carter, this is our song." The blonde stated as she pressed the title and waited for it to echo through the car.

Carter already knew what song she was going to play. Even though they hadn't officially said anything they both knew that that was their song. And, as soon as the first note played Carter couldn't fight the wide smile that made its way to her face. It was a song from the 90's or early 2000's and it only took a few seconds for Marissa to recognize it. "Ohh you guys are so gay!" She exclaimed laughing when she realized the song was As Long As You Love Me by The Backstreet Boys.

Sonny didn't care. She took Carter's free hand in hers, and kissed it. "You know what." She said turning to look at her friend in the back. "This song says 'I don't care that you're a stripper, with an eight year old kid, and a crazy younger sister. I'm gonna be with you anyway.' And, I like that."

"Let me see the phone. I know a song that's perfect for you guys." Marissa said leaning up to get it. "Carter if you don't have this song.." She warned.

The college student was trying to stay focused on the road, but she couldn't stop herself from smiling. Seeing Sonny laugh and smile the way she was doing made her happy. Even her co-worker in the back was making Carter smile. Everything about Sonny made Carter want to be a part of her life. All those things that pester her in the back of her mind were the same things that made her want to be with her. "What are you looking for?" The blonde dancer quizzed, trying to see what her friend was doing.

"No peeking." Marissa ordered, pulling the phone close to her chest. "I found it." She said cheerfully. Carter, this needs to be your jam." The brunette dancer said as she hit play.

The song stopped, and the new one played through the speakers. "Got the body of a goddess. Got eyes butter pecan brown. I see you girl." Marissa sang until Sonny broke out in laughter at the song choice.

"Really?" The blonde asked through her laughter. By now Marissa was laughing as well and Carter was too as I'm In Love With A Stripper played.

….

After a quick bite to eat the women dropped off the brunette dancer at her house, then were on their merry way back to the Munroe's household. "My dad came back tonight." Carter informed the blonde to her right as they drove down the highway.

"That's great." Sonny said, happy for the younger girl. "What did you say your dad did again?" She asked. She knew Carter had told her once before, but they never had a full on conversation about it. Sonny remembered he was a cop or something. Something to do with law enforcement.

"He's an FBI Agent." The twenty year old replied. "He actually wanted to know all about you when he called me the other night." She informed the dancer.

"What did you tell him?" Sonny questioned curiously.

"I told him what you looked like, where we met, and how amazing you are." Carter stated. She knew her father would come around if things got serious. He was just nervous for her. Carter didn't bother with dating much. So, seeing her infatuated with someone was new to him.

When Sonny got an answer to her question she let go of Carter's hand. "You told your dad where we met?" She inquired. Her tone had completely shifted.

The harsh tone Sonny took with Carter shocked her. "Yeah." The brunette said looking over to the blonde. Carter was pretty confused right now. She wasn't sure what she said that pissed Sonny off.

"Why would you do that?" The dancer demanded to know.

"Why would I do what?" Carter shot back trying to defend herself.

"Tell your dad that I'm a stripper!" Sonny shouted. "Now if I meet him all he's going to see is some girl you picked up at a trashy strip joint!" The blonde yelled feeling panicky. The last thing she needed was this girl's father treating her like.. well.. A stripper..

The twenty year old wasn't sure what she needed to do at this point. It was astonishing to her that Sonny was freaking out over this. "It doesn't matter. My dad isn't like that." Carter tried to reason with her.

"Carter you don't understand!" The blonde retorted. She had been in this situation once before, and it didn't end well.

Carter didn't know why, but having Sonny yell at her over this was getting her rather angry. "Sonny." The college student said inhospitably as she slowly pulled into a deserted parking lot. "Look at me." She demanded once she was parked. The dancer did as requested. "I know you have been through the ringer. Honey, I know." She said taking the blonde's hands in hers. "But, you have got to understand.. Your job doesn't affect the way I see you, and it won't affect the way my father sees you." Carter said looking into her eyes. "So when the time comes.. My dad won't care, because he'll see the way you make me happy."

"Carter, I jus-"

Sonny tried to speak, but was cut off. "No."

"But-"

"No." Carter said firmly. "Trust me. You have to trust me."

"Did you tell him I have a kid?" She questioned the younger girl. Carter heavily sighed. "..You did." She said quietly.

"Yes. I did." The brunette said honestly. "I told him all about you, because I can't shut up when I start talking about you. I can't for the life of me see why someone would let you slip out of their grasp.. You amaze me. You are so strong, and courageous. And, I admire you so deeply. I wouldn't be wasting my time with you if I didn't think that this had the possibility of leading somewhere great.. You are everything I could ever ask for, and them some.."

They sat there starring into each other's eyes. Sonny didn't predict Carter for someone to be able to go off on random romantic dialogs like that. She really wasn't up for crying in front of her again, but she would be a liar if she said she didn't get teary eyed. ".. If you like me so much then why haven't you asked me out?" She said softly.

Carter stared at the dancer oddly. "..why do I have to ask you out?" The coach said feeling clearly amused. "You can ask me out, you know." She pointed out. It showed on Sonny's face that she had never even thought of it that way. "Shit is different with a girl, huh?" Carter chuckled, which got the dancer to crack a smile. "Well since you don't have the balls.."

"Hey!" Sonny shouted, playfully pushing the younger girls shoulder

"Do you want to go out with me?"

"Are you asking what I think you're asking?" The blonde quizzed.

"Do you want to be my girlfriend?" Carter rephrased her previous question. She had never asked anyone out before, but it was strangely easy.

Sonny's smile couldn't get any bigger. "I would love to be your girlfriend." At Sonnt saying 'yes' the college student pulled her in close to her, and connected their lips in a steamy kiss.

...

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**Guys no shit.. That last scene happened to me once. Minus the kid. The girl was a stripper though. Great girl. Some of the stuff that happens in here happened with me. Some is obviously made up. That's why it's called fiction. But, the chick just expected me to ask her out.**

**Anyway. I hope you guys liked that chapter. Thank you for all of your amazing reviews. I've gotten great reviews on some of my other stories, but I have to say the reviews you guys have given for this story are by far the most in depth and it's deeply appreciated. I love reading a review and seeing that the reader was enjoying it. And, you guys know I love throwing in things from your reviews too. I like to answer you questions through the story if I can. **

**Thank you for reading :) I love that you guys jump on these rides with me. Cause half the time I have no clue where I'm going with a story. Still don't know where this one is headed, but ehhh... Review?**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey guys sorry I've been MIA. I just got back from a long trip, and rushed to get this chapter done today. Thank you for all of your amazing reviews. I'm working on squeezing some of what you guys have said you wanted to see in here if it fits. I hope you all enjoy this next installment. xXx**

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Carter returned to her home late Sunday afternoon. She had spent the day with Sonny, Hunter, and Tawni. She even witnessed the sisterly moment between the blondes when Sonny informed Tawni that they were officially an item. The coach wished she could stay and hangout longer, but she needed to go spend some time with her father. He had been gone for a while and they were due for some father-daughter bonding time.

The twenty year old entered her home with what felt like a permanent smile. But, then it faltered when she remembered she had to tell her father about her new girlfriend. Her girlfriend. That sounded pretty damn good to Carter. Sonny Munroe, a hot twenty-six year old stripper, like smoking hot, was her woman. The coach was stupidly happy, but she told her dad she would let him know if things got serious. Carter having a girlfriend was pretty serious, so that time had arrived. "Dad!" The college student shouted as she closed the front door to the house.

"What?" She heard her father's booming voice echo from upstairs.

The coach walked over to the sofa and sat down. "Things got serious!" She shouted back.

Upstairs Agent Mason was folding his clothes and putting them in their designated places. "Things got serious?" The agent mumbled to himself. "What the hell is she talking about.." then he remembered the conversation he had with his little girl last night. "..Carter!" He yelled realizing what she meant. Joe dropped the shirt he had in his hand and made his way to the stairs. He couldn't believe after their talk last night that his daughter jumped into a relationship with that woman. All he wanted her to do was take it slow and be careful, and it was clear to him that that wasn't what his daughter had done. "Explain yourself. Right now." He ordered once he entered the living room.

Carter stood up from the sofa. "I asked her out last night." The young woman informed her father.

The FBI agent rested his hands on his hips, and glanced down at the floor beneath his feet. "You asked her out." He repeated.

"Yeah. Dad, I really like her." His daughter tried to explain.

The agent covered his face with his hands. "You don't understand, do you?" His voice was muffled by his hands as he slid them down his face. "Strippers. Aren't good in relationships.. Trust me, Carter. I've been there. One of you will get hurt." Her father warned.

Carter wondered what he meant by saying he had been there. She stared at her dad curiously. "What do you mean you've been there?" The twenty year old questioned, quite intrigued.

Joe wasn't sure if he should dive into his past to teach his daughter. He looked at her. He knew she was going to do what she wanted. The girl was stubborn, just like her mother. A quality he both admired and loathed. But, the least he could do was share his experiences with his daughter. "Sit." He ordered. Carter sat back down on the family sofa while he sat down on the chair. "I was twenty-two." He began. "Pal, this girl was beautiful. She had long flowing brown hair. Beautiful blue eyes.. I was floored when she came up to me.. We were at a party down in Barlow County, a house party. I didn't know what she did. But, we hit it off right from the start." He said looking at his daughter. "A few weeks go by, and she finally tells me she's a stripper." Joe said with a shrug. "I didn't care.. Not at first. Then something just changed while we were dating." The agent said changing his eye line to the floor. "We got into stupid fights over nothing.. She left her phone at my house one day, and that was the day I discovered she had been cheating on me…" He informed her, but then moved to a more serious topic. "Carter, the things that happen in that locker room. I don't want you anywhere near. Girls doing drugs. In the club, girls go home with men they've never met before. Some girls have pimps and work prostitution out of the clubs. It isn't a good crowd to be involved in. I don't want my daughter involved in that.. And, before you say anything. I understand there are diamonds in the rough.. But, the odds of finding a woman worth a damn in there is very, very slim.."

"…Why didn't you tell me you dated a dancer?" His daughter quizzed.

The agent laughed. "She's got you saying dancer? That's rich." Joe said as he sat back. He had called his ex a dancer at first too. It seemed more respectful. Cleaner even. Now, however, the word stripper works just fine. "I never had a reason to tell you. But, in truth I just don't want you getting into that scene. You're on the right path. I don't want you being swayed towards the wrong one."

Carter let a small grin grace her features. "Sonny isn't like that." She explained. "She has a kid, and not to mention a younger sister that lives with her that she looks after."

"Great." Her father stated sarcastically. "That's great. All the qualities a twenty year old should look for in a person."

"Dad." Carter scoffed disbelievingly at how bitter her dad was behaving.

"You know what.." The agent said as he stood from the chair. "You know I'm a fair man.. Bring her by next week for dinner. If you're serious about this woman, I will dine with the two of you with no biased.. Maybe you found the diamond? Who knows?"

"..You promise?" She asked her dad.

The widower walked over to his daughter. "I promise, pal." The FBI agent said softly. "I won't let my prejudices get in the way of judging her character. I owe you that much for being away all the time." He said sincerely. "But, don't say I never warned you."

…..

….

Monday's practice was coming to a close, and all of the kids were anxious to find out what their new team name was. The jerseys had to be ordered by the end of the week in order for them to arrive in time for their first game at the end of the month. Everyone, players and their parents, were gathered at the bleachers. "Last year we were The Sparkling Dragons." Carter reminded the crowd. "This year.. We will be known as The Velociraptors." The coach informed the players, who in turn cheered. "I don't know how the hell you guys managed that one. I can't even spell that, so I think I'm gonna shorten it to Raptors.. Now I need you guys to pick numbers. Write your last name, and the number you want on some paper then turn it in to me."

Sonny Munroe sat on the metal bleachers listening to her girlfriend tell the children what to do. She stared at the coach dreamily. Carter sure was gorgeous. She stared until her younger sister lightly slapped her arm. "Drooling, much?" Tawni teased.

The dancer smiled. "Like you wouldn't." she said rolling her eyes at her sister. "Oh, wait.." Sonny said turning to look at Tawni. "You do!" She shot back mockingly.

"Hey." Tawni said putting her hands in the air defensively. "Maybe your girlfriend shouldn't walk around the house in her_ underwear_."

The mother huffed. "I tell her not too, but there's no harm in it if she does it while Hunter is at school." She reasoned. In all honestly Sonny preferred it when Carter wore no clothes at all. Tawni could deal with it. She wasn't going to let her sister affect when she got her eye candy in. Obviously she couldn't have her sexy time when her son was home, so the dancer was going to get it when she could.

The twenty-six year old's smile only widened when the coach trotted over to her. "Hey guys." She greeted both women.

Before either blonde had the opportunity to speak a young man came up to Carter. "Hey, you any good with a soccer ball?"

The coach turned to look at who was speaking to her. It looked like one of the college kids that had practice at the field after her team did. He was tall and lean. No facial hair, just his crew cut on his head. "Yeah. What's up?" She asked the college student after seeing the LMU (Lake Monroe University) printed across his chest on the grey shirt he had on.

"We're short one player for scrimmage." The unknown player stated. "We were wondering if you'd be down for a quick game. Maybe ten, or fifteen minutes?" He asked hopeful that the hot coach they all saw every Monday would be up for playing.

Carter glanced to Sonny, then out to the field. "Sure. Let's play." She replied happy to engage in their game. "I gotta talk to you after this." The coach said to her new girlfriend.

"About what?" Sonny asked peculiarly.

"Dinner." The twenty year old replied as she started jogging back to the field.

The two blondes stared at Carter oddly as she ran off. "What does that mean? Is she taking you out?" Tawni quizzed.

"..I have no idea." The dancer replied as she looked around to spot her son. She saw him and a few other children running around. But, they all stopped once they saw their coach on the field about to play a quick game. Sonny thought it was adorable how much kids liked Carter. But, it also worried her. If this didn't work out she knew it wouldn't just affect her, but it affect her son as well.. Then her eyes landed on a certain blonde she hadn't seen in a while at the practices. Brooke. "You know, as much as I want to hate her, I can't."

Tawni wasn't sure what her sister was talking about. Her statement was as random as it gets. "Who are you talking about?" She asked confused.

"That girl." The dancer said, pointing in Brooke's direction.

Tawni looked where her sister directed, and spotted the girl she was referring to. "She's cute." She said with a glint in her eye.

"When are you going to admit that you're bisexual?" Sonny interrogated. It was abundantly clear after her run in with Amanda Hernandez in high school, that her sister went both ways. She knew it, she just wanted the younger blonde to admit it.

Tawni and Amanda never dated. They just fooled around. A lot. "I'm not." The younger of the two defended. "She's cute. Jeeze can I not recognize that another woman is attractive?"

The older sister mouthed 'whatever', which made Tawni overdramatically drop her jaw. "What? What are you gonna say?" Sonny tormented her sibling.

The younger of the two opened and closed her mouth. "..Well.." The younger blonde struggled to come up with a comeback. "Cutie is checking out your girlfriend." She shot back, trying to sway the conversation topic.

The dancer looked back over to the girl nicknamed Barbie. She was harmless. She is, however checking out her girlfriend, but she is harmless. At least that's what Sonny was telling herself. The dancer ignored the college student's admiration for her girlfriend, and then set her eyes back out on the field. Carter was building up a light sweat. Her body held a glistening overtone. This was certainly something she could get used to watching.

….

After the short game of scrimmage Carter jogged her way back over to the bleachers. The young coach glanced over and saw Brooke give her a friendly wave, so the coach gave her one back. It sucked that she couldn't talk to Barbie anymore. They were never close, but they did speak to one another almost daily at school. Now Carter was having to run around taking different routes to her classes to avoid the wealthy blonde. For her friend Ed's sake, and her own. Maybe when Barbie got over this crush thing she had then they could chat again.

"You were great out there." Sonny beamed as her girlfriend trotted up to her.

Carter's skin was wet with a layer of sweat. It may have been a short game, but she busted ass out there to help out the defense. "Yeah Carter! You were awesome!" Hunter shouted excitedly after seeing his coach play.

"Thanks, Hunter." The twenty year old said feeling winded as she ruffled the eight year olds hair. "You wouldn't happen to be the reason the team knows how to spell Velociraptor, would you?" She asked knowing the boy loved watching the discovery channel, and his favorite thing to watch was anything regarding the prehistoric monsters. "I know how much you like those shows."

"They're better than Spider-Man cartoons." Sonny chimed in.

Carter's mouth nearly hit the floor. "Ughh!" She scoffed. "Take it back." She demanded of her girlfriend.

The dancer popped a perfectly sculpted eyebrow up. "What do you plan on doing if I don't?" The blonde mother asked flirtatiously.

"Um. Gross, much?" Tawni stated in mock disgust. "There are children around. Have some common decency."

The soccer coach chuckled at the younger of the two blonde sisters. "Please, Tawni. The stuff that flies out of your mouth." Carter joked before suddenly getting very serious again. "But, no really.. Take it back." She said looking back at her girlfriend.

The dancer giggled, then stood from the bleachers. "Hunter, are you ready to go home?" She asked her little boy. In turn the child nodded his head. "Carter, are you coming over for dinner?" The blonde quizzed as she returned her attention to the soccer coach.

The coach visibly grimaced. "I'm sorry babe I can't. I told Ed I would meet up with him. He's supposed to be coming over for dinner. Which reminds me.. My dad wants to meet you, and have you over for dinner." She informed the dancer.

Sonny instantaneously felt panicky. This man knew what she did. He knew where she met his daughter. And, he knew she had a child. All she could do was stand there like a deer in the headlights of a huge semi-truck. She was nervous. Very nervous. Carter was so beautiful, not just on the outside, but her soul is beautiful. That's why Sonny likes her so much. She felt fear and anxiety about this dinner invitation. Just from speaking with Carter she knew her father meant the world to her. A relationship that no doubt the dancer couldn't help but be slightly envious of. She never had that with either of her parents, which only strengthens her morals towards making sure she is there for her own child. But, Sonny knew all too well the way people perceive strippers. This could potentially reek of disaster. "….uh.. o-ok." The blonde mother stuttered out.

The twenty year old brunette eyed her significant other. "..Don't tell me you're nervous?" The coach laughed.

Sonny's expression went from worried to frustrated in a millisecond. "This isn't funny Carter!" The dancer scolded.

The harsh change in tone caused Carter to slow her laughter. "Sonny, calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down!" The blonde continued to scold. "That is literally the worst thing you could say. Why would you think telling me to calm down will actually calm me down?" The dancer quizzed angrily. "Hmm?"

The soccer coach's mouth hung open. Was she really getting yelled at right now? Carter glanced around. Everyone was busy doing their own thing, but here she was getting yelled at… and, for what exactly? That she wasn't sure of.. "Why are you yelling at me?" Carter asked quietly, and confused as she looked into the dancer's eyes.

"You know how I feel about what you told him!" Sonny whisper yelled violently.

Carter licked her lips trying to access how to handle this. Sonny was losing her cool for no reason at all. "And, I told you.. I'm not worried.. So, you shouldn't be either." She replied gently and calmly.

Hunter stood there watching the interaction between his mother and his coach. They were arguing and he didn't know why. His mother took his hand in hers, and the little boy looked up at his mother uncertain with what was happening. "Let's go sweetie." She said with a smile plastered on her face. "Mommy will get you some ice cream for doing so well at practice."

The eight year olds face lit up. "Ok." Hunter said happily as they began to walk towards the parking lot.

Carter watched as her girlfriend headed home. "Did she really just walk away from me?" She asked Tawni, who hadn't started walking yet. She was just as lost on what was happening as Carter was, except that she didn't know all the details that Carter knew.

The young blonde sighed. "Yep." She replied as she too walked off. She needed to catch up with her sister and see what all this was about.

With her girlfriend gone, Carter was left to pick up the soccer balls and put them back into the large bag they came from. The coach would go gather them from the gym teacher every day they had practice, and then go turn the balls back in at the end of each practice. As the college student was placing the last ball in the sack Barbie made her appearance known. "Hey Carter." The wealthy girl greeted cheerfully.

The coach looked up from what she was doing and saw Brooke. "Hey Brooke. How have you been?" Carter quizzed as she slung the bag over her shoulder.

"Good." She replied with a bright smile. "I miss talking to you. It's like I never even see you anymore."

This crush thing Barbie had on Carter clearly hadn't withered away yet. Sure the brunette found the whole thing flattering, but she knew better than to entice someone. Even speaking to them regularly is a bad idea. False hope is devastating. Not to mention the reaction that would be plausible from Ed, and or Sonny if she were seen speaking to Brooke on the regular. "I know, but it's for the best. Ed's my best friend. I don't want him relapsing." Carter joked.

"You're sweet." Brooke commented.

The soccer coach cracked a smile. "Brooke.." she said looking at the blonde.

The blonde took a playful step towards her. "Carter.."

The coach knew what Barbie was doing. It was typical Barbie style. She had seen her do this a few times, only difference is it was with guys, not her. "Don't." Carter commanded, the flattery causing a grin to stay on her features.

The blonde smiled wide. "What is it you think I'm going to do?" She questioned.

Carter sighed as she looked at the ground and started chuckling. "What you always do. I'm guessing one of your friends told you to treat me like a guy, which admittedly would work if things were different. But, what you would do is get super close to me.. So close that I could feel you. Then you would flip your hair and strut away." She stated as she looked back up at the blonde.

Brooke's smile never faltered. "Well damn. You got me."

"I know you Brooke." The coach reminded her as she started walking away to return the balls to the gymnasium. "Fucking Barbie." Carter muttered to herself.

…..

In the car on the ride to the Munroe household Tawni began interrogating her older sister. "What was all that about?" She asked referring to the mini freak out her older sister had at the soccer field. The car ride had been rather quiet, so Tawni wanted to break the silence.

"Nothing." The dancer replied as she pulled into the driveway of her home. "..What's that?" She thought out loud at seeing a colorful bouquet of flowers on her front porch.

"Flowers?" Tawni reminded her sister.

The older of the two shot the younger an annoyed look. Of course they were flowers. Sonny wasn't blind. The dancer glanced back at the assortment of flowers on the porch, then turned off the ignition to her car. "Well whoever you've been fooling around with was courteous enough to get you those.. I say maybe you should give him a shot."

The two women hopped out of the car, and Sonny opened the door for her little man to hop out as well. "Those are pretty." Hunter complemented the bouquet.

"They sure are." Sonny replied as they walked up to the front door.

Tawni picked up the assortment of colorful flowers. Each flower was a different color and a different type. There was a card, so she removed it as her sister opened the front door to the house. "Sonny." The younger blonde called out as she followed her sister into their home.

The dancer turned around to face her younger sister. "Yeah?"

"These are for you." Tawni informed her, holding out a small white card.

Sonny reached out and grabbed the card. _'You. Are. Beautiful.' _Was written across the front. Sonny turned the card over and there was her name. _'To, Sonny. From, Carter.'_ "This girl.." The dancer said feeling a smile tug at her lips.

Tawni rolled her eyes. "Gosh, get married already." She teased, grinning at the gesture Carter had made with sending flowers to the house. "Those are actually really pretty though."

"Yeah they are, aren't they.." Sonny whispered. "Maybe I'm overreacting." She said, looking back up at her sister.

Tawni put her hands on her hips, and bit at her bottom lip before speaking. "Even though I don't know what's going on.. I'm gonna go ahead and say yeah.. You are."

…..

After a long practice Carter Mason returned home. Her father was seated on the sofa enjoying his week off of work, and his little girl was sitting right there next to him. Right now they were waiting on Ed to show up so they could put the pizza in the oven. They didn't want it to be cold, or all eaten when he showed up.

Agent Mason was watching the History Channel while his daughter played on her cell phone. Carter was never one for anything remotely educational. As she was goofing off she received a notification. Across the top of her cell phone was a Facebook notification alerting her that she had been tagged in a post. The coach clicked on the pop up, and the app opened. Carter clicked the little globe symbol and saw what she was tagged in.

It was a close up picture of Sonny with the bouquet she had sent to her house, a genuinely happy smile on her face. The caption read _'I came home to find these beautiful flowers. Thank you __**Carter Mason**__ xXx'_


	12. Chapter 12

**Fuck guys I know I'm falling behind. Here's another chapter. It's the dinner you've all been waiting for. Leave me a review. Let me know what you think. Hopefully these chapters will be coming faster now that I'm all settled in. **

**Enjoy :X**

It wasn't long before the date was set for dinner. Sonny made arrangements with her younger sister to watch her son Hunter. Right now the blonde dancer was prepping herself for meeting Carter's father. She did not want to screw this up, but she was growing so nervous that she was having complications selecting what to wear. With an audible huff of annoyance she plopped down on the floor in her bedroom. Sonny had literally gone through every piece of clothing she had, which now lay scattered across her carpet in piles.

"Sonny!" Tawni shrieked upon seeing her older sister still not dressed. The dancer was still in her pajamas. "Why aren't you dressed?" The nineteen year old questioned harshly. She knew the way her sister got under stress. Sonny had a bad case of anxiety from time to time, and it was really beginning to show.

The mother of one scanned all around her room at her discarded clothes. "..I have no idea what to wear." She admitted. "..I want to look conservative, but I don't want to look like a nun.. And, I want to look hot, but not like a slut." Sonny tried to explain her dilemma. "Her dad works for the FBI and if I don't make a good impression I'm fucked." She said panicky. Joseph Mason's success already intimated her even though they hadn't officially met yet.

"Sonny calm down." The young blonde ordered. "This is Carter we're talking about." She reminded her sister. "Yeah you're going to meet her dad, but Carter won't let anything happen. It's Carter." Tawni said with a shrug. "She pulled a knife on Wilmer. I'm pretty sure she'll make sure her dad knows how awesome you are."

The dancer squinted her eyes at her baby sister. "How did you know about Wilmer?"

"He told me." Tawni replied. "Sometimes he drops by work and asks about you. So, we sit and talk on my lunch break." She said as if it were no big deal.

This tidbit of information was new to Sonny, and honestly she didn't approve of it one bit. "You're having lunch with my ex?" She asked for clarification, the disapproval echoing in her tone.

Tawni rolled her eyes. Her sister was about to make a big deal out of nothing. "_Sometimes_. It's not a big deal. He just misses you." She tried to explain.

"Oh, so since he misses me he goes to see you?" Sonny quizzed, sarcasm oozing from her voice. "You think that's why he spends time with you? Tell me something Tawni.. If he misses me so damn much why doesn't he just call me?" The dancer said clearly annoyed as she stood from the floor. "I'll tell you why! Because he doesn't miss me. He's trying to get back at me." Sonny stated. "His pride is hurt. And, do you really think that dragging you in between him and I is a valid way of showing someone you miss them? No, it's not. If anything he's trying to get back at me by getting to you.. if your smart you won't let him." With what was already happening with Carter, and then finding out that her sister was hanging out with Wilmer on the regular, Sonny was reaching very high stress levels. The dancer began rummaging through the clothes she had tossed on the floor. She was desperate to find something to wear. "You're an adult. You've graduated high school. You can make your own choices. I'm not going to monitor who you have lunch with. But, he is not allowed in this house."

This wasn't something Tawni wanted to discuss. But, her sister was right. She is an adult, and she can associate herself with whoever she sees fit. "..Just wear a dress." Tawni suggested to change the subject, and hopefully end the dreary mood encompassing the room. "Like one you wear when you go to work. I like the one with the full sleeves and the red shoulders."

The dancer had actually been looking for that dress earlier. It's one of her favorites, but she gave up when she just couldn't seem to find it. "I don't know where that is." Sonny said as she plopped down on her bed. "I haven't seen it in a while." She informed her little sister.

Just then Tawni remembered something. "I know where it is." She said as she left the older blonde's bedroom.

"Tawni!" Sonny shouted as she realized what was going on. "How many times do I have to tell you! When you borrow my clothes, bring them back!"

Within a few moments Tawni re-entered the bedroom with the knee length black dress in hand. "I think this will be perfect." She said with a friendly smile. Sonny breathed a sigh of relief. It would be. The dress says 'I'm hot, yet conservative.' Which is just what the dancer was going for. "How are you gonna wear your hair?"

"Up." The dancer replied as she picked up a pair of black pumps.

…..

Over at the Mason's home Carter and her father were outside by the side of the house shooting some hoops. It had been a while, but Carter much preferred this to the History Channel. With converses, short shorts, and a tank top the twenty year old was effectively schooling her old man in a game of Around The World. "When did you get good at basketball?" Agent Mason questioned his daughter after she sunk her fourth shot in a row. He didn't remember her ever being this good.

The coach shrugged as her dad passed her the ball. "I think it was around age seventeen." She joked, poking fun at the fact her father wasn't around all that much that year.

"Look, pal. I'm around as much as I can be." Her father said feeling guilty. Sometimes it weighed in on him pretty heavily.

Carter looked at her dad. "I know. It was a joke." She explained. "Lighten up." She told him smiling as she took her final shot. And, as if she practiced on the regular, the ball swished right through the net. "But, on a more serious note.. Dad, what happened? You suck."

The FBI agent stared at the rim and net. Then looked back at his daughter. "You got lucky." He said putting his hands on his hips. "Let's play Horse." He said, and Carter chuckled as her father's competitive side emerged.

"I don't know why. It's not like you're gonna win that either." She mumbled lowly, but her father still heard her.

"So you learned to talk a little smack while I've been gone? Ok." The agent said nodding his head. "That's fine. Let's make this interesting.." He proposed.

The young coach crossed her arms over her chest. "What do you have in mind old man?"

Agent Mason bounced the ball a few times against the concrete slab. "..If I win, you can't play video games for a week." He stated, instantly earning a gasp from his daughter. "If you win.. We can watch whatever you want for a week. I won't bore you with the History Channel." He offered, knowing just how much his daughter hated it. Honestly, he was just happy he was able to get her to enroll in college.

Carter stood there and thought about it. No video games for a week? That was just outrageous. But, she did severely dislike the History Channel. Before she could decide she heard a car coming down there street, and when she looked she saw her girlfriend's silver Toyota. "..Damn." Carter mumbled to herself when she caught sight of Sonny. Sometimes it was hard to believe that that hot woman was her girlfriend.

As Sonny pulled up into the driveway Joseph Mason watched her, and when she hopped out of the car his jaw nearly hit the pavement. He looked away from her, and over to his daughter. "Pal…. I see why you like her.." He said before glancing back over to the blonde. "Holy shit." The agent stated under his breath.

The dancer's nerves were skyrocketing as she walked towards the father-daughter pair. But, still she threw on her best smile. "You must be Mr. Mason." The blonde said extending her hand. "It's nice to meet you."

The FBI agent shook the woman's hand. "It's nice to meet you too, Sonny." He replied politely. "We've got some steaks on the grill right now. They should be done shortly."

"That sounds great." She said before looking over to her girlfriend.

"I'll take you inside, and we'll get the table all set." Carter piped up knowing damn well Sonny was nervous. "Dad, what do you want to drink?" She asked as she walked past her father.

"Water." The agent replied. "I'll bring the steaks in when their finished." He informed the two women as he turned to go check on the grill.

Carter took Sonny's hand in hers and led her inside the house. "You look great." The coach complimented once they were inside.

"Thanks." Sonny replied. "Carter, I'm freaking out." She said nervously as they entered the kitchen.

The twenty year old stopped, and looked into the blonde's eyes. "You have no reason to be. It's just a dinner. My dad is harmless." She assured.

The blonde was breathing heavy. "I know, but he knows and I know you said it doesn't matter, but I know it does. I wouldn't want my son dating a stripper. I would want better, so who's to say your dad isn't thinking the same thing? Why wouldn't he?"

Sonny was about to start rambling. Carter knew she needed to shut her up. So, mid-sentence Carter crashed her lips against the blonde's. "I'm saying this with love.." Carter said looking into the blonde's eyes. "Shut. Up." She instructed with an amused grin. "I'm right here with you. It's going to be fine."

All the dancer could seem to do was nod her head. "..Ok." she whispered. However she was still internally freaking out.

The young soccer coach still needed to set the table, so she turned around to get some dishes out of the dishwasher. After grabbing three plates she spun around and handed them to her girlfriend. "Put these on the table?"

Sonny inhaled deeply, and did as she was asked. The twenty-six year old headed into the dining room with Carter following close behind with three glasses. The two women set the table. The side dishes had already been prepared and set. "Steaks are ready!" Agent Mason's booming voice echoed throughout the home as he entered, which startled the blonde dancer.

"Relax." Carter whispered to the blonde as she walked over to her. "Relax." She repeated, resting her hand on Sonny's cheek and lightly kissing her forehead.

Just as the coach pulled away her father came in carrying the still sizzling steaks. "Let's eat." The FBI agent stated as he put the meat in the center of the small dining table.

They all took their seats at the square table that could fit four. Agent Mason sat at one end, while Carter and Sonny sat across from one another. The food was rationed out, and they all began to cut up their steaks. "So, Sonny." Agent Mason began. "Where do you work?" He quizzed even though he already knew.

"Um." The blonde fumbled with her words as she attempted to cut up her steak. At the moment she was trying to calm her nerves. If you stared at her hands long enough you could see them visibly shaking. "I work your typical forty hour work week at Macy's retail store in Trenton." She informed the man, throwing on a fake smile. This was a fake it till you make it situation for the stressed blonde.

Carter's father took a bite of his meal. "Carter tells me you have a second job."

This was it. This was what she was desperately afraid of. "..Uh. Yeah.. I do." She replied looking at the agent.

"Dad." Carter interjected. She didn't think her father would actually bring that up.

Joseph glanced over to his daughter. "What? I'm just making conversation." He said before looking back at the blonde dancer. "When I was in my younger days I dated a stripper." He informed Sonny. "It didn't work out too well. I'm sure you've seen you fair share of relationships fail with the women you work with." He said as he took another bite of his meal.

The blonde looked down at her food. She really wasn't even hungry anymore. "I've seen a few." She replied. "Some due to the girls I work with, and some due to the people they choose to date."

"I'm sure you can understand my apprehensiveness with you dating my daughter then?" Joe asked as he took a sip of his water.

Carter was listening to her father speak with Sonny, and she was careful to watch his tone. So, far it wasn't one she felt she needed to put in check. "Absolutely." Sonny replied. "As I'm sure you can understand my thought process leading me to believe you've been burned by a stripper." A flame was lit in the blonde's eyes. Carter could see it. She never once referred to the blonde as a stripper. Something in her knew better than to do that, and right now she was seeing why. It bothered Sonny to be called that. That was evident.

Agent Mason also picked up on the blonde's ever so slight change in dimmer. "Tell me why Carter?" He asked wonder just what it was that made this stripper want anything to do with his daughter.

"She's different." Sonny stated. "You dated a stripper. You know the type of people that come in and out of clubs like that.. Carter was a refreshing change." She explained. "She looked past my job, and saw me for who I was."

Joe glanced over to his daughter then back to the dancer. "Good. I managed to raise her well then.. I plan on doing the same." He said digging back into his meal. "I am curious about your child though."

At the mention of Hunter, Carter chuckled. "Hunter is awesome." She stated relishing in the fact that she was the one that got to expose him to superhero cartoons.

Agent Mason wasn't blind, and he could clearly see his young daughter was very wrapped up in this woman and her family. He wasn't sure what to make of it. He had never seen his daughter glow the way she was right now. However, for Sonny hearing Carter's laugh made her nerves shoot down and brought comfort to her. The blonde was able to genuinely smile. "The type of mother a woman is says volumes about her." The agent stated.

His words seemingly rumbled Sonny's memory. Carter had said something just like that when the dancer turned her down at the soccer field. "..I try my best." She said looking at Joe. "You know being a single parent isn't exactly the easiest job in the world." She said knowing he must have had some issues once Carter's mother passed. "But, thankfully I have the help of my younger sister, Tawni. Hunter is a wonderful son, and I'm blessed to have him. He doesn't give me any trouble.. I enrolled him in sports because I can't be there to pick him up from school at three o'clock, or be at home when the bus would drop him off. As much as I wish I could be, I just can't." She explained. "In fact my lifestyle, and my family played a huge factor in my choosing to be with your daughter." Sonny fully had Agent Mason's attention. "My concerns for her being as young as she is were through the roof. I didn't want to put my life onto her, because it isn't easy and she's an incredible intelligent girl with a bright future ahead of her. And, as weird as this may seem I know I won't stand in the way of whatever Carter wishes to accomplish, because I wouldn't want some woman holding my baby back either.. But, before we got involved with one another I made sure Carter understood that I'm a package deal. With me comes my son."

Joe wasn't expecting to relate to her struggles. He had never gotten involved with another woman, romantically that is in the sense of liking one enough to actually date, after his wife passed away. Raising a kid on your own isn't easy. Hell Carter practically raised herself. "Dad." Carter spoke. "She makes the poor kid watch the Discovery Channel, the History Channel, and the Smithsonian Channel."

"I do." The blonde chimed in with a light giggle. "It's better than the cartoon garbage you let him watch."

There was mock shock written all over the soccer coach's face. "Spider-Man is not garbage. He is one of the most kindhearted superheroes ever written. He shows true regard for human life."

Agent Mason put his face in his hands. "Please, don't get her started." He grumbled.

At Joe's words the dancer grew confused. "Wait.. You didn't get her into this when she was little?" Sonny asked wondering just how a little girl ends up into superheroes.

"No." The FBI agent replied. "I don't know how she got into it. School I guess. I came home one day and she was watching it. Spider-Man was her Saturday morning cartoon." He said, looking over at the blonde.

"I think he has a good moral compass." Carter defended.

"You just make sure my little boy isn't watching filth." Sonny ordered, unknowingly falling back into the way they normally spoke to one another. "He needs to be watching educational shows. Documentaries. Biographies on world leaders.."

"Shit that makes my eyes and ears bleed." The coach said mockingly.

Sonny had to admit she was feeling better now, and it was all thanks to Carter's cynical since of humor. "How do you ever make it through a school day?" The dancer quizzed with a grin across her lips.

Carter looked at her girlfriend. "Every day is a struggle." She said pretending to be serious, and causing her father to crack a smile.

….

The mood was effectively lightened via Carter's distaste for schooling, and when Sonny playfully scolded her on the importance of an education Agent Mason began to see a little of what his daughter saw. But, soon enough the dinner was over and Sonny was about to head home. Carter walked her to her car to say a quick goodnight.

"See that wasn't so bad." Carter said as she gripped the blonde dancer's hips, and lightly pressed her up against the silver Toyota.

Sonny stared lovingly into the twenty year old's eyes. "No. It wasn't." She was overjoyed that it went as well as it did. At first it was nerve-racking, but it eased out. Thankfully.

"Text me when you get home?" The coach quizzed as she inched forward for a kiss. The dancer nodded her head, silently agreeing to message the brunette. Then Carter connected their lips.

Sonny's hands found their way to Carter's cheeks as their lips glided along one another's. The younger girl's hormones were getting the better of her. Carter removed her lips from the blonde's and attached them to her neck. "Mmm." Sonny let out a moan of approval. But, reality soon weighed in on her. She wasn't at home, she wasn't at a hotel, she was out front of her girlfriend's house. The house she literally just had dinner at with this girl's father. "Carter." She said as she removed the brunette from her neck. "Not here." The younger girl looked at Sonny confused. "Aww." She cooed at the look on Carter's face. "Don't give me that look."

"..What look?" The coach asked.

This was too cute. She didn't even know she was doing it. "That sad puppy look." The blonde stated, still caressing the younger girl's face. "You are so cute sometimes."

Carter smiled. "Well you know.. I try." She shrugged.

The dance laughed at Carter's silliness. "I'll be sure to text you when I get home." She said as she gave Carter one last peck before getting into her car.

The coach waved goodbye to Sonny as she drove off. Then she walked back into her house to see her dad. She sat next to the FBI agent on their couch. "So.."

Joe looked at his daughter. "So."

"..What did you think?" the twenty year old questioned her father about the dinner they had just had.

Agent Mason sighed. He was still conflicted. He wanted better for his child. Sure, Sonny seemed like a nice woman, but.. She just.. She was a stripper. It bothered him. If Sonny was just some fling then he wouldn't care. But, it was increasingly unmistakable that his daughter had deep feelings for this woman. In his own mind he knew that he was holding a prejudice against her because of what she chose to do for extra cash. "..I see why you like her." He said thinking back to the dinner. The way both of their faces lit up when the other smiled was an indication of young love. "..I think she's got a good heart."


End file.
